Author Archives: Jason Kobal
What to Expect in a Workers’ Compensation Matter
Above all, job injury victims should expect a fight, especially over damages (amount of lost wages and medical bills). Insurance companies earn almost $1.5 trillion a year. They’re determined to hold onto as much of this money as they can. They’re willing to invest some of it, mostly in legal fees, to accomplish that… Read More »
How Medical Bill Payment Works in Job Injury Cases
Insurance companies, including workers’ compensation insurance companies, pay medical bills according to a pre-negotiated fee schedule. If workers’ compensation covered a reasonably necessary expense, the provider must accept payment per the fee schedule from the workers’ compensation insurance company. Frequently, to collect more money, the provider claims the expense wasn’t covered or wasn’t reasonably… Read More »
Freak Workplace Injury Hospitalizes Firefighter
A North Collier Fire Rescue District was rushed into surgery after she was struck by a fire hydrant while working to control a house fire. According to officials, NCF Firefighter Susana Webb was severely injured while laying out the fire hose to attach it to the fire hydrant. The fire district spokesperson said the… Read More »
Five Common Workers’ Compensation Defenses
Typically, workers’ compensation claims are no-fault matters. If an illness or injury is work-related, full benefits are available, even if the victim was partially at fault, or entirely at fault, for that injury. However, over the years, Florida judges and lawmakers have watered down the no-fault rule. Today, a handful of defenses are available… Read More »
Determining Lost Wages in a Florida Workers’ Compensation Matter
The lost wage replacement rule appears straightforward. Victims with temporary job-related disabilities are entitled to two-thirds of their average weekly wage until their doctors clear them to return to work. The method for determining the AWW is less straightforward. Most insurance companies add the last ten “net pay” lines for the last ten weeks… Read More »
Five Most Dangerous Jobs in Florida
Despite numerous health and safety laws, American workplaces are dangerous, to the tune of over two million injuries per year. Our list of the most dangerous jobs in Florida contains some expected occupations as well as some unexpected ones. Job injuries include trauma injuries, such as falls, and occupational diseases, such as hearing loss…. Read More »
Who Pays Job-Injury-Related Medical Bills?
If the medical expense was reasonably necessary, the workers’ compensation insurance company is legally required to pay the bill. Frequently, insurance companies and medical providers agree on lower fees. For example, if the “list” price of an MRI is $2,000, the insurance company might agree to pay $1,000. In these situations, hospitals cannot come… Read More »
Farmhands Demand Workplace Protection
A Florida advocacy group has tried for more than two years to convince officials to enact heat safety standards in outdoor workplaces, and the matter is finally scheduled for a preliminary hearing. Historic heat waves have already killed at least one farmworker in South Florida this year; he had expressed feeling fatigued and leg… Read More »
Preventing the Fatal Four Construction Accidents in Florida
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Fatal Four cause most fatal construction accidents in Florida. These construction site accidents are also rather easy to prevent. Unfortunately, to many bosses, worker safety is an unnecessary cost. That’s especially true in places like Tampa Bay, where the construction industry is so competitive. When… Read More »
Benefits Available in Workers’ Compensation Claims
Since 2016, the average benefit payments in a workers’ compensation claim have declined by almost 20 percent. Almost every year, lawmakers lower workers’ compensation insurance premiums, in the name of attracting more businesses to the state. Lower premiums mean less money in the system, which means less money for injured victims and their families…. Read More »
