Blog

View the memorandum addressing this issue here

I am absolutely up to my eyeballs in slip and fall on ice cases this Winter. Our near record snowfalls, cold temperatures, and the occasional thaw/freeze day, have all combined to keep the phones ringing with people calling to see if they have a case. In many instances they do. T...

The mileage reimbursement rate for all travel expenses incurred on or after January 1, 2011 is now 51.0 cents per mile. This rate change applies to all claimants, regardless of injury date, and coincides with the federal mileage reimbursement rate pursuant to Section 31-312(a) of the Workers' Com...

In a long awaited decision, the Connecticut Supreme Court provided some clarity in the murky waters of when must a police officer or fire fighter bring a heart or hypertension claim under Connnecticut General Statute section 7-433c. In Ciarelli v. Town of Hamden which was released on Dece...

The neurosurgeons and orthopedists at Neurosurgery Orthopedics Spine Specialists (NOSS) in Waterbury, together with two of their colleagues at Orthopedic Associates of Hartford were kind enough to dedicate their day to educating 100 or so of us lawyers toiling in the fields of Connect...

The trend nationally is to prohibit the use of cell phones in motor vehicles. Such a ban would make use of a cellphone while working a deviation from employment and accidents involving cell phone use at work would then be considered a deviation from employment and excluded from workers' compensa...

This week I have attended two hearings on behalf of clients that were injured on the job some time ago. In both cases neither client had a lawyer until they hired me. They came to see me because, as so often happens, they heard, through the grapevine, that they were not getting their just due und...

NOSSCR is reporting this month's wait times for an ALJ hearing at 330 days in hartford. that sounds about right. The time Judges are taking to render their decisions seems to be considerably longer.

PHENIX CITY, Ala. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited MDLG, doing business as Phenix Lumber Co., for 53 safety and health violations following the death of one worker and the critical injury of a second at its Phenix City facility. Proposed pen...

From the Associated Press: DOYLESTOWN, Pennsylvania — A woman is accused of illegally accepting workers' compensation payments while working as a stripper. Forty-three-year-old Christina Gamble waived a preliminary hearing scheduled for Tuesday and will face trial next month. Prosecutors say...

Having represented many employees of Hartford Distributors through the years, my heart goes out to the victims and their families.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced it has resolved litigation with Imperial Sugar Co. stemming from the February 2008 explosion at its Port Wentworth, Ga., plant and subsequently discovered safety and health violations at the ...

Reproduced in toto: MEMORANDUM NO. 2010-02(Supersedes Memorandum No. 2007-02) TO: WCC Commissioners, District Administrators, Advisory Board, Legal Advisory Panel, Medical Advisory Panel, Medical Practitioners, Self-Insureds, Insurance Carriers, Attorneys, and Unions FROM: John A. Mastropi...

Brother, can you spare a dime? That's how the old saw goes, and not a month goes by without one of my clients calling, and they "hate to ask, but" look for a loanbfrom me against their comp settlement. I feel bad for most of my clients. I truly do, and it is hard sometimes for me to say no. Bu...

Commuting Payments End For Workers' Comp Commissioners - Courant.com

The Frequency Of Contact Between You And Your Lawyer In The Personal Injury Case

June 1, 2010 The Connecticut Worker's Compensation Commission reports it has adopted new guidelines for resolving issues that may arise for either payors or medical providers who practice within the workers' compensation system. The effective date for these guidelines is July 1, 2010. To revi...

WASHINGTON - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has added a note to its Steel Erection standard informing employers of certain Federal Highway Administration requirements, to better protect workers and motorists during highway bridge construction.This added information will help pr...

Talk about closing the barn door after the horses have left. OSHA has promulgated a web page setting forth their efforts in keeping the workers involved in oil spills safe from injury. Read all about it here.

Our recent spell of 90 degree plus weather may be a harbinger of things to come this Summer. As you head out to your jobs in the high heat and humidity, it is imperative you remember that if you become a victim of heat stroke or heat exhaustion while on the job, you may be eligible for benefits u...

A March 20, 2010 memorandum from the Chief Administrative Law Judge to all of his subordinate ALJ's reiterates that a social security claimant has an absolute right to refuse to appear at a videotelephonic hearing (VTC) and demand a hearing before an ALJ in person. VTC hearings have become increa...

From Comp News Network Washington, DC (CompNewsNetwork) - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced in a notice of proposed rulemaking published in today's Federal Register its plans to require improved worker protection from tripping, slipping ...

I have to admit that this one is personal. I had a hand in defending the Cessario v Meriden matter at my former firm, and never in my wildest dreams would I have envisioned the result the trial commissioner reached, let alone have it affirmed by the CRB. Officer Cessario retired from the Meride...

A tip of the hat to my former partner, Jim Quinn, who taught me a lot about the ins and outs of Connecticut workers comp law. Jim successfully argued to the CRB that the trial commissioner erred in dismissing the claimants heart and hypertension claim without considering Jims theory that the str...

This is the classiest thing my team has done in a long time.