My last blog post was all about the why companies need to have an employee handbook. Today I'm going to share a story about how a well-written employee handbook saved the day at a hearing I attended. I'm also going to share some ways a poorly written handbook can become a liability for the company. … Continue reading The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly in Your Employee Handbook
Author: Eric Rich
Eric Rich is a litigation and workers' compensation attorney with Dinsmore & Shohl LLP. Eric assists large and small employers in multi-state occupational disease litigation, administrative and court proceedings, alleged workplace safety violations and structured settlement negotiations. Eric also advises employers regarding their obligations under the ADA, FMLA and other state and federal statutes.
Employee Handbooks: A Workers’ Compensation Practitioner’s Perspective
Your company’s employee handbook lays the foundation for what the your company expects of its employees and what your employees can expect from the company. A well written employee handbook is an invaluable resource to any organization. Employers, however, need to be aware of problems that can be created by poorly drafted employee handbooks. Employers … Continue reading Employee Handbooks: A Workers’ Compensation Practitioner’s Perspective
How to Prepare Your Expert Witness to Testify at Deposition
Success or failure in a workers' compensation case often depends upon the testimony of an expert witness. Here are some tips for how to get your expert ready to provide the most persuasive testimony on deposition. The process really starts with the selection of the expert witness. My preference is always for an expert who … Continue reading How to Prepare Your Expert Witness to Testify at Deposition
Simply Begin Again-Starting Up Temporary Total Disability After a Return to Work
To those of you who read this blog regularly, I apologize for the lack of content for the past month of so. Preparing seminar materials and the holidays got in the way of regularly posting. So, in keeping with the title, this post is dedicated to the idea of simply beginning again. It's a concept … Continue reading Simply Begin Again-Starting Up Temporary Total Disability After a Return to Work
How to Succeed at Mediation
For workers' compensation attorneys and adjusters the best claim is a closed claim. The best thing you can do for your clients is to get your claims to a place where they can settle. Obviously this starts with the administrative process, but for the purpose of this post we're going to focus on settling a … Continue reading How to Succeed at Mediation
Injured Workers Who Are Going to Self-Administer Their Medicare Set Aside Need This Guide
On October 9, 2019 the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued the Medicare Set-Aside Self Administration Toolkit. Although I feel like I'm condemning myself to an eternity in a very bad place for encouraging such a huge consumption of paper, EVERY injured worker who is going to self-administer a workers' compensation claim approved by … Continue reading Injured Workers Who Are Going to Self-Administer Their Medicare Set Aside Need This Guide
Medicare Advantage Plans-Another Thing for Employers to Pay Attention to When Settling with an Employee
Whenever an employer reaches a settlement agreement with an employee who has open workers' compensation claims, the employer should not forget about their potential obligations to protect Medicare's interest in the settlement proceeds. I've written about this issue several times in the past, so for more details, see my posts here: Dealing With Medicare … Continue reading Medicare Advantage Plans-Another Thing for Employers to Pay Attention to When Settling with an Employee
Just Because You Don’t Get Paid for Working at the Racetrack While You’re off on Workers’ Compensation Doesn’t Mean You Aren’t Committing Fraud, Says the Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court recently terminated the permanent total disability ("PTD") compensation of a man who was caught performing various horse-training and grooming activities at a racetrack in exchange for a waiver of housing and feeding expenses for the worker’s own horses. In the case, (The State Ex Rel. Seibert v. Richard Cyr, Inc., 2019-Ohio-3341, … Continue reading Just Because You Don’t Get Paid for Working at the Racetrack While You’re off on Workers’ Compensation Doesn’t Mean You Aren’t Committing Fraud, Says the Ohio Supreme Court
If You Deny TTD Because an Employee Was Fired for Failing a Drug Test, You Had Better Be Ready to Produce That Drug Test, According to This Recent Case
In Ohio, an employee is not entitled to temporary total disability compensation if they have "voluntarily abandoned" their employment. Voluntary abandonment is defined as violating a written work rule or policy that: (1) clearly defined the prohibited conduct, (2) was previously identified by the employer as a dischargeable offense, and (3) was known or should … Continue reading If You Deny TTD Because an Employee Was Fired for Failing a Drug Test, You Had Better Be Ready to Produce That Drug Test, According to This Recent Case
Was Your Light Duty Job Offer “Made in Good Faith”?
A recent Supreme Court case addressed the conditions that must be met in order for an employer to terminate ongoing temporary total disability compensation based upon an offer of light duty employment. Under O.R.C. 4123.56(A), once started, temporary total disability payments continue until: 1) the employee has returned to work; 2) the employee's treating physician … Continue reading Was Your Light Duty Job Offer “Made in Good Faith”?
Employers Workers' Compensation Law Blog 