Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Fundamental Elements of a Social Security Disability Claim
Depending on the recipient’s income and a few other factors, the average Social Security Disability benefit is almost $1.500 per month in Florida. That monthly cash, along with automatic Medicaid eligibility, could change the life of a family that includes a disabled person. However, benefit eligibility is not the end of the story. SSD… Read More »
Local Workers’ Comp Fraudster Sentenced in Delaware
A woman who used an alias and a fake Social Security number to obtain disability payments from two employers will spend the next five to ten years in prison. According to court documents, the 57-year-old woman claimed that in 2019 she was hurt from a fall while working at the Family Dollar store. She… Read More »
Medical Bill Payment Ambushes
Legally, workers’ compensation insurers must directly pay all job injury-related medical bills. Unfortunately for victims, insurance companies don’t always follow these requirements. They’re determined to cut benefits and pad their profits, even though these companies already earn more than $1 trillion a year. Furthermore, under the law, injured workers aren’t financially responsible for any… Read More »
Determining the AWW in a Workers’ Compensation Matter
In 1973, the Average Weekly Wage in America was $132. By 2024, the AWW had increased to $960. Obviously, individual wages among injured workers vary significantly. Additionally, the composition of the AWW varies significantly. Wage income is not always the same thing as cash income. More on that below. Maximum lost wage replacement benefits… Read More »
Mental Stress is Now the #1 Job Injury
Anxiety, stress, and related mental illness now account for 52 percent of all job-related injuries, according to a recent study. A new Atticus study found that mental health issues such as stress and anxiety are now the number one most common workplace injury, making up most of all workplace injury cases. Google searches for… Read More »
Am I Disabled?
Over 13 percent of the U.S. population, or some 42 million people, is disabled. In the everyday world, “disability” basically means a physical, emotional, or other impairment that significantly impairs at least one daily function, such as concentrating at work or walking up stairs. Usually, we associate disabilities with permanent conditions. Recovering surgical patients… Read More »
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 »
