In order to obtain reimbursement from the state’s Special Disability Fund pursuant to N.Y. Workers’ Comp. Law § 15(8), it is not enough for the employer or carrier to show that the claimant had one or more previous physical impairments;... Read More
A Nevada employer need not show that it had knowledge of an employee’s specific medical diagnosis in order to receive reimbursement from the state’s Subsequent Injury Fund (“the Fund”). It must, however, prove that it had some... Read More
Statutory reform in Missouri requires that objective findings trump conflicting subjective findings. When a doctor concludes claimant can work based on FCE results but claimant state he can't, does the FCE "objective" findings control? ... Read More
A claimant must demonstrate not only that he had an "accident" but also an "injury." An injury is not compensable unless the accident was the prevailing factor in both the medical condition and disability. Claimant had an "accident"... Read More
The commission reversed a denial of benefits and awarded permanent total benefits against the Second Injury Fund and noted that a prior habit of smoking pot daily for twenty years might be regarded as a hindrance or obstacle to employment. Mandina v Glass... Read More
No case highlights the financial crisis of Missouri’s second injury better than the recent case of Skirvin v Treasurer of State of Mo. WD 75441 (Mo. App. 2013), 2013 Mo App. Lexis 84 , which describes the Fund’s incapacity to pay millions... Read More
A 58-year old train inspector fell more than 20 feet from the top of a rail car resulting in injuries to his back and shoulder. He failed to establish he had an accident to pursue a PTD claim against the second injury fund because he "unfortunately"... Read More
A claimant may recover pre-judgment interest against the second injury fund under "liberal" construction for unpaid bills of an uninsured employer, according the western court of appeals, reversing the Commission which found interest owed only... Read More
In a deeply divided decision, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma held that a workers’ compensation claimant, who sustained an injury to his left shoulder in 2013, was a “physically impaired person,” as defined in Okla. Stat. tit. 85A, §... Read More
It was just another day on the job for claimant when she put on her raincoat and boots, pulled out her sprayer, and spent the day getting splattered with hog manure, afterbirth and hog waste material. In 2002 she felt sick and fatigued and was hospitalized... Read More
The big fight recently in Missouri is when a surviving spouse or dependent children can still receive comp benefits after a claimant dies from unrelated causes. The worker's comp statute provides survivor benefits when the death is work-related... Read More
A New York employer was not entitled to receive reimbursement from the Special Disability Fund pursuant to N.Y. Work. Comp. Law § 15(8)(d) unless it could establish three things: (1) that the injured worker had a preexisting permanent impairment... Read More
A Missouri appellate court affirmed an award of permanent total disability benefits against the state’s Second Injury Fund where claimant’s lunchroom chair collapsed as he sat eating lunch. The claimant injured his low back and developed intense... Read More
Claimant fell hundreds of times before in his life, but in 2008 he slipped on a slick floor in his employer’s bathroom, lost control of his crutches, and injured his neck. He never returned to work after two neck surgeries. The Commission affirmed... Read More
The Missouri Supreme Court has now spoken on what prior injuries "count" for purposes of accessing second injury fund benefits in Missouri worker's compensation cases in 4 new cases appealed last year by the Fund: Witte, Salviccio, Dyson... Read More