Blog

The Chairman's office has released a new edition of the Connecticut Practitioner's Fee Guidelines setting out the allowable costs for procedures performed in worker's comp cases.

Bulletin 48 is out---in a delightful shade of blue. Get your copy at any District office.

In Caverno vs. Mory's Association the CRB has upheld the Trial Commissioner's denial of disc replacement surgery sought by the claimant. This case involves an accepted low back injury of long standing involving a waitress at the venerable Mory's in New Haven. After what appears to have been sign...

Sullivan v. Metro North will be released on Monday. The decision is significant in that it reminds civil trial courts that the scope of expert testimony can be quite broad and that the trial judge that excludes such testimony does so at their peril. I consider this a "win" for the Plaintiff's bar...

Your humble scribe was enrolled in the Pro Bono honor roll for 2008 by the Connecticut Bar Association. I try hard to give back to the community by accepting cases on behalf of the indigent whom I then represent without cost. This is an expensive country to live in, and legal services are an ...

In the case of Rodriguez vs Ed Construction the Compensation Review Board takes up another independent contractor vs. employee case. I have seen a number of similar fact patterns come through my door in recent years and am concerned that the CRB takes an unusually narrow view of who is and wh...

Get well soon, Rem Dawg

SSD/SSI Expert blogger Jonathan Ginsberg answers this question in this recent post.

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, ...