Law Office of Cleveland & Metz

On October 29, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) released a new report confirming what CAAA has been saying all along: delays in medical care result in significantly higher costs.The study’s key findings showed soft tissue injury claims that had a month delay before receiving the first medical service had, on average, significantly higher indemnity and medical costs than similar claims without medical care delays. These cost differentials were shown to... persist for years after the injury. Furthermore, soft tissue claims with delayed care were more likely to stay open longer, have a longer duration of temporary disability and involve permanent disability. The study also showed that low back injury claims have the longest delays in the system, with medical costs 253% above the average, and temporary disability duration six times above the average. The long-term cost implications of delayed medical care were similar for claims with many of the leading medical diagnoses in the workers’ compensation system, such as low back pain, dislocation and sprain and fracture. Access to medical treatment for injured workers has been under attack for years in California, with hurdles such as utilization review, independent medical review, MPNs, and restrictive treatment guidelines being thrown up as road blocks and causing serious delays. See more

Heading into the holiday season during these challenging times, we want to show appreciation and give thanks to the millions of frontline workers and essential employees keeping our state and country moving forward. We’re thankful for all of our first responders and healthcare workers who continue to put their lives on the line as they battle on the frontlines of a resurging coronavirus. These heroes the nurses, firefighters, doctors, police officers, paramedics and others ...we consider to be first responders have been the first line of defense against this new threat, often being separated from their families for long periods of time to keep them safe while protecting the greater population. Their sacrifices will not go unnoticed. We’re thankful for the bank tellers, restaurant workers, plumbers, HVAC technicians, delivery drivers and many others who have to interact with customers every day to provide crucial services while risking greater exposure to the virus. And we’re thankful for our public servants the teachers, bus drivers, postal workers, poll workers, social workers, mental health therapists and so many others working to help others and instill a sense of normalcy in our daily lives. Essentially, we’re thankful for all essential workers and any person who continues to do their job in the face of adversity while carrying us through the pandemic. For you we are thankful, and we wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving

One of the scariest things this Halloween season isn’t a ghost, ghoul or goblin; it’s the prospect that Proposition 22 may become law. Get the full story on why this is such a scary proposition in this week's #WorkCompBriefing: https://conta.cc/34vEYlf #ProtectWorkers

Businesses will gain a simpler framework for classifying workers as independent contractors under a high-stakes regulatory proposal the Labor Department released, representing the Trump administration’s response to blue-state efforts to expand the scope of employee status. The proposal seeks to offer businesses clarity on a contested area of employment law and hence protection from a wave of worker lawsuits that have accused companies in the gig economy and in multiple other industries of shorting workers on pay by improperly designating them as contractors.

Raging wildfires coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic have created the perfect storm of disastrous conditions for firefighters, farmworkers and millions of others forced to work outdoors. Full story in this week's #WorkCompBriefing: https://conta.cc/32vngNT #ProtectInjuredWorkers

In its latest report, the WCIRB targets CT claims, permanent disability claims and high rates of litigation as primary drivers of increased frictional costs. Bu...t a separate report shows claim denials as the real culprit. More in this week's #WorkCompBriefing: https://conta.cc/2ZJ47qg #ProtectInjuredWorkers See more

"With resilience and a sense of duty, these workers in the San Francisco Bay Area are performing vital services even as the pandemic and protests swirl around them." https://nyti.ms/2ZcHxWM #ProtectWorkers #ProtectInjuredWorkers #COVID19

To all of our peace officers who have died or been injured while serving the people, we honor you and thank you for your service.

Millions of California’s essential workers can breathe a little easier now that Governor Newsom has signed an executive order protecting employees who contract #COVID19 on the job. Full story in this week's #WorkCompBriefing: https://conta.cc/3czYSgR #ProtectWorkers

Happy Mother's Day! #MothersDay