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According to this quarter's edition of the NOSSCR Forum, the wait times for ALJ Hearings in Hartford presently stands at 380 days. The New haven office sits at 372 days and Springfield, Ma is at 335. To give that some perspective, the New York screening unit has a 135 day processing time (the ...

I'm not quite sure what to make of this opinion. I am quite familiar with the Syzmaszek case having defended the City of Meriden in the matter for a number of years. I know all of the parties involved well, and am certain that further appeals will follow. I also have a case of potentially signif...

Certainly not the CRB. Great Result. Read it here.

I really am not quite sure what to make of this. For whatever reason, the worker's comp gods have not smiled on Officer Biasetti. While my hat goes off to my esteemed colleague J.D. Moran for what is very clearly a job well done, I can't help but feel as a claimant's attorney that this is a...

Time for a well deserved vacation. I'm spending a week in Tucson with my family and will resume blogging the Connecticut WC scene when I get back!

One lawyer thinks it may be so. One Trillion dollars is a very big number, folks. And both State and Federal goverment will be looking for a way to pay for it all. New taxes including those on worker's compensation checks may very well be subject to income tax in the near future. Stay tuned.

In Lopa vs. Brinker International, (12/30/2008) our Appellate Court has given Connecticut worker's comp lawyers yet one more reason to run for the door when we hear the words "United States Postal Service." Not only are Postal worker injury cases not subject to Connecticut worker's compensation ...

The mileage reimbursement rate for all travel expenses incurred on or after January 1, 2009 is now 55.0 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'...

I represent a client that has two Connecticut Worker's Compensation Claims. In each instance, my client was injured under circumstances that also allowed me to bring what are known as third party claims---lawsuits by any other name for the same injury. In these cases, the claimant typically recov...

In Dellarocco vs. Town of Old Saybrook, a Compensation Review Board opinion released January 27, 2009, the CRB has held that a claimant may not collect "lost time" payments pursuant to Section 31-312 while collecting permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits at the same time. This decision i...

Workers' Compensation: Iowa Joins Other States Not Adopting the AMA Guides 6th Edition

Evidently, not unlike United States Senators, surgeons have taken to carpetbagging. For the record, I have not heard of this happening in Connecticut, however I cannot say that it hasnt occurred. Best advice: Stick with a well known and respected local physician, preferably one well versed in Co...

Social Security Administrative Law Judges are a unique breed. This website will allow you to check, by name of Judge, his or her productivity. Fascinating. Have Fun.

Oftentimes Employees are protected by a Long Term Disability Policy by their employer. A premium payment is taken out of their paycheck for this protection which is designed to pay the worker a weekly benefit should you be unable to work on account of an injury or illness after a certain period o...

For many of us in the field of Connecticut worker's compensation law, a burning question is often whether or not an employer is insured for worker's compensation coverage. Now, thanks to the hard work of our Commission, and the miracles of technology, we need wonder no more. On December 22nd, ...

In a recently released decision, the CRB was called upon to determine whether or not the trial Commissioner had erred when he found that an assault on a homosexual restaurant worker by a fellow employee after- hours was not compensable within the language of the Connecticut Worker's Coimpensati...

The United States Department of Housing has announced its' new Hope For Homeowner's Program which which may help people in distress from home mortgages that are currently overwhelming them. Please contact me personally if you have concerns. I may be able to put you in touch with some Connec...

Norm's article struck me on so many levels. I paste it below verbatim for your reading. Unsettling Phone Call From Panicky Client By NORM PATTIS I admire those lawyers who give out telephone numbers at which they can be reached both day and night. Me, I am unavailable after 7 p.m. There ar...

These are taken, verbatim froma young lawyer's blog. I am in this place where I really want my firm to grow and be the best that we can be. I offer these up, as much for me as for you: Never be satisfied with your level of development; always try to better than you were before. Avoid comfor...

NOSSCR reports the most recent processing time for hearings before an ALJ in Hartford is 375 days. That is 17th best in the Nation. To put things in perspective, the shortest wait time is in Houston at 283 days, and the longest is Chicago at 712 days---close to two years.

Attorney James L. Pomeranz of Glasonbury's Pomeranz Drayton and Stabnick was the recipient of this year's Pomeranz O'Brien Award given by the Worker's Compensation Section of the Connecticut Bar to a member for their outstanding contributions to the field of worker's compensation law. The award w...

The Text of Commissioner Mastropietro's Memorandum reads as follows: WCC Electronic Filing of First Reports of Injury Memorandum - September 17, 2008 MEMORANDUM NO. 2008-03 TO: Commissioners, District Administrators, Self-Insureds, Insurance Carriers, Attorneys, Unio...

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WCC Revised Professional Guide Memorandum - September 17, 2008 MEMORANDUM NO. 2008-05 TO: Commissioners, District Administrators, Workers' Compensation Advisory Board, Legal Advisory Panel, Medical Advisory Panel, Medical Practitioners, Self-Insureds, Insurance Carrier...