The U.S. Department of Labor Rule Tuesday would have disastrous effects on independent contractors, harming companies and workers. Indeed, while proponents ostensibly assert that the proposal is for the worker’s benefit, it would make the attraction of gig economy work obsolete.
read more...In large part due to the lobbying efforts of the claimant’s bar, the State of Washington has recently taken efforts to limit the Department of Labor and Industries (“LNI”) and self-insured employers in obtaining independent medical examinations (IME). Under the…
read more...As the Washington Legislature churns through their final product before the constitutionally mandated end of Session on March 10, recent developments at the intersection of labor, workers’ compensation, and so-called “gig-economy” companies have reached Governor Inslee’s desk. Background. Gig-economy companies…
read more...COVID-19 has brought to the forefront issues regarding exposure and causation of employee illness and diseases – namely, determining whether the illness or disease was likely contracted at work or away from work for workers’ compensation purposes. See our PowerPoint presentation about these matters, the new presumptions, and the possible ways that these presumptions may be rebutted.
read more...by: Benjamin C. Debney In 2017, the Oregon Supreme Court held that the proper statutory interpretation of a “combined condition” under ORS 656.005(7)(a)(B) is that: “an otherwise compensable injury” means the accepted condition(s) as opposed to an undefined, nebulous “work injury incident”…
read more...by: Benjamin C. Debney A common question for Oregon employers, third-party administrators and insurers is: when do you stop investigating a work “incident” as a potentially compensable work “injury”? Unfortunately, there is no “one-size-fits-all” answer. Such investigations are entirely dependent…
read more...Washington State Department of Labor & Industries March 9, 2020 Please see link to the news release from Governor Jay Inslee and L&I Director Joel Sacks concerning the department’s policy on workers’ compensation coverage for health care workers and first responders…
read more...Beginning January 1, 2023, Oregon employers will have to provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave to certain eligible employees. Under the recently passed House Bill 2005, which was the catalyst that created Oregon’s new Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Equity Act, workers who have earned at least $1,000 in wages in a base year will receive up to 12 weeks of paid time off to welcome a child to their family.
read more...As school is back in session and the leaves begin to change there are also some important changes to Washington’s workers compensation laws that employers should be aware of. Here is a summary of three recent changes that may affect the way your company approaches a workers’ compensation matter.
read more...“Obesity is not merely the status of being overweight. Obesity is recognized by the medical community as a primary disease” according to a majority opinion in the case of Casey Taylor et al. v. Burlington Northern Railroad Holdings Inc. et…
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