It’s sometimes easy in this world of constantly incoming information to forget the important things in life: sacrifices made by neighbors so that their families are fed and sheltered; and extraordinary efforts made by ordinary citizens to make the world a better place. This past weekend, many paused to remember those kinds of special Massachusetts people. People who worked hard …

Massachusetts and much of the Northeast is about to get hammered with another major storm. This time it’s a winter storm. But it was only a few months ago that Hurricane Sandy killed numerous people in several states and caused millions of dollars of property damage in Massachusetts alone. With damage so extensive, it is only natural to be concerned …

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are considering whether to issue new rules for Medicare set-asides in liability claims. Some experts opine that the new rules will affect workers’ compensation claims by making it more difficult to settle claims. How Do Set Asides Impact Workers’ Comp Claims? When a worker is injured on the job and the settlement …

Rising hospital costs are a concern across the United States and in Massachusetts. But a recent study released by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) provides policy makers and stakeholders with a key tool to better identify and understand the costs of workers’ compensation hospital and outpatient treatment. The WCRI study is a workers’ compensation cost index that allows researchers …

The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently denied Home Depot’s attempt to recoup workers’ compensation payments. A company employee had been injured when he slipped on a ladder and injured his knee during an on-the-job accident. The court held that the requested repayments were against fundamental fairness. The Initial Workers’ Comp Case During initial hearings, Home Depot was ordered to pay a set period …

In September 2011, the Massachusetts Court of Appeals issued a ruling in Leo Whitman’s Case, the first appellate case to address joint employers’ responsibility under the state’s workers’ compensation laws. The court said that the case presented two issues: Whether the plaintiff was an employee or a contractor Whether the state’s workers’ compensation laws impose liability on two employers if …