Workers Compensation Claims: An Untimely Claim Could Cost You Dearly

Two of the biggest problems workers can face when filing workers compensation claims and sorting out what benefits they may be entitled to is; being aware of all the strict guidelines and regulations laid out when filing a claim and being able to follow them in the correct manner. Failure to comply with these guidelines can have serious consequences for your claim. It could slow down the whole process or even worse, you may find your claim being denied. It is important that you contact the HR department of your workplace and ask them for the details about the insurance scheme that your employer has opted for. A claim for compensation could be thrown out for numerous reasons so don't lose out, read on as at least the basic knowledge could help save your claim.

Something that most workers are probably totally unaware of is that not every workers compensation plan will cover all workers in a company. There are plans that have a definition of what they deem a "worker" entitled to make a claim is. This will normally take the form as "full time" worker. This means that those classed as part time, freelance, or contract workers could find that they cannot make a compensation claim through their employer's scheme. If you should become injured at work and are not classified as a "full time" worker there are procedures you can go through to make a claim but these would be outside the companies plan.

Another important factor that most workers may be unaware of is that there are strict time limits for filing a compensation claim. Now these time limits will most likely vary from State to State. So always keep in mind that an open- ended claim does not exist. Should you become the victim of an injury in the workplace and want to file a worker's compensation claim the first thing you must do is to inform your employer as soon as humanly possible. Also inform the insurance company to ensure that your claim is lodged following the guidelines set out in the insurer's policies and procedures. Only under certain circumstances and conditions can an extension to the time limit be granted. It is recommended that you engage a personal injury lawyer as quickly as you can so that your claim can be filed in a timely manner.

Now although this should be obvious to any worker it is still worth a mention. A company's insurer will take every step open to them spending a lot of time and money trying to find reasons for a claim to be dismissed. There is a good chance that your claim will be dismissed if after the investigation it was found out that;

• There was negligence on your part on health and safety rules. • You were the cause of an accident or injury in the workplace. • You filed your claim late. • You ignored the doctor's advice. • Or in some way disregarded the company rules.

Workers compensation claims can be complicated and if you waste time or fail to comply with the regulations, you could find yourself in all sorts of financial problems.

The History and Current Advantages of Workers Compensation   California Babysitters Entitled to Workers' Comp?   What Steps Should I Take When Injured at Work?   Can I Claim Workers Compensation And Social Security   Insurance For Early Retirees   

Workers Compensation Insurance Basics

Worker's Compensation insurance is available in all 50 states. Every state has mandatory workers compensation laws on the books. Worker's Compensation insurance is the typical way that most small business employers take care of the state mandated requirement.

There are common law duties that every employer owes their workers in the work environment, below is a list of some of the duties:

A safe place to work is the first one on the list. Providing coworkers that are confident in the execution of their work activities is also a duty. The employer must provide adequate education training and supervision for all workers. The work environment must be safe for the workers and the equipment and tools that they use must be adequately maintain and in proper working order. The appropriate warnings to all and always a potential dangers and harm from the employees workplace must be posted and communicated throughout the organization. The employer must establish and enforce safety rules and regulations that are appropriate for their industry.

The workers compensation system is a strict liability, no fault system. Most states are competitive whereby private insurers and state funds together compete for the business of providing workers compensation insurance for employers. There are six states that are not competitive and they are called monopolistic state fund states. The six states are Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Private insurers are not allowed to write Worker's Compensation in those states.

While the limits of some benefits are different for each state, the overall benefit categories are the same. Worker's Compensation pays for:

The medical services that the injured employee receives without any limit and without any deductible to the employee. There is also lost wages that are paid usually after a waiting period. Both physical and vocational rehabilitation services are paid under this policy also. Finally, there are some nominal death benefits that are paid if the employee dies because of injury or illness from the workplace.

The workers comp system has some common objectives and goals about how the system is set up across the USA. One of the goals is to provide prompt payments and unlimited medical payments for the injured employees. Another of the systems goals is to eliminate or reduce delays in payments and litigation cost. Unfortunately this goal is not being met consistently across the nation. The system guarantees payments for the injured workers and also helps promote industrial safety throughout commerce. Employers can finance these mandated workers compensation benefits by purchasing private insurance, participating in your states assigned risk playing, purchasing insurance through state funds which most states have or qualifying for self-insurance and/or excess insurance plans on your own.

These basics can help you in your understanding about how this system works.

The History and Current Advantages of Workers Compensation   California Babysitters Entitled to Workers' Comp?   What Steps Should I Take When Injured at Work?   Can I Claim Workers Compensation And Social Security   Insurance For Early Retirees   

Worker's Compensation and Discrimination in Illinois

There was a recent annual meeting for worker's compensation specialists in the city of Bloomington, Indiana. The annual meeting was held by a lawyer's trade group, the Indiana Trial Lawyer's Association. No doubt, many here were probably expressing concern for recent developments in the legal code. Illinois, the state next door had just revamped and reformed it's worker's compensation laws. The Illinois legislature recently tried to revamp and recode the legal code system in 2011.

One of the most interesting increases of incidents reported are due to discrimination charges, which have been rising disproportionately since 2008. The rate of filings stayed roughly constant for 10 years, between the decades after 1997. This has led to some serious economic repercussions that have caught the attention of the State Legislature. According to an article published in the Daily Herald on September 12, 2011, Illinois's worker's compensation costs to employers are ballooning, and the current average is around 2.75% of every 100 dollars on payroll.

Discrimination charges are filed with the government office called the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is in charge looking at cases and presenting awards and fines. In the United States, worker's compensation covers the costs of discrimination charges, damages and awards, as well as certain litigation issues. Hence, as the rate of discrimination charges has been increasing during the 2007-2009 recession in Indiana State, costs have been offset to employers and labor. In fact, many of the Unions and industry leaders believe that this system in Illinois is running at exceptional cost. Relative to other states with the same standards of living, employers have to pocket much more expenses. This lead the legislature to enact a new set of laws, which are designed to reduce the amount of expenses paid out by the worker's compensation system in Illinois. It will be interesting to see how the future developments will modify the costs of carrying compensation for employers in Illinois.

Worker's compensation differs from every state, and its means of governance and regulation are different as well. This is because while the US Congress enacted a Federal mandate to provide worker's compensation laws, it allowed each of the 50 state governments to actually govern the policy regarding the setup, execution, and delivery of worker's compensation. Hence, each jurisdiction now has different legal policies, and court cases dictate how rulings are carried out. Hence, it can be quite difficult to follow up on all the differences and changes to legal codes. However, trends in one state can certainly influence the future of other states, as lawyers try to litigate and change policy in the courts to fit their bill.

Note: as a disclaimer, we are neither a legal expert, nor do we claim accuracy for this general article. We are not responsible for your reliance on our information, so please seek adequate counsel for correct information and latest updates to the legal code.

The History and Current Advantages of Workers Compensation   California Babysitters Entitled to Workers' Comp?   What Steps Should I Take When Injured at Work?   Can I Claim Workers Compensation And Social Security   

What Is PPI? Do You Need It?

Payment protection insurance or PPI is a means of loan protection. It is generally applicable to any loan-based instrument you have in your name like a house mortgage, a car loan or even a credit card. It protects you from payment liability should you be unable to make your installments due to illness or because of being laid off.

Understanding what is PPI will help you comprehend the advantages associated with it. These policies are often sold to people whenever they take out a loan or a mortgage or have successfully applied for a credit card. The main benefit it provides you with is peace of mind. Falling seriously ill or losing your job can be stressful enough for the family. If they know that their liability for a loan has been temporarily put off, they will breathe easier. It will prevent your credit rating from taking the plunge.

In terms of eligibility, most PPI policies cap age at 65 or 70 years of age. You need to be employed at the time of taking on such a policy as it covers unemployment post taking the policy. Those who are self-employed do not qualify for this. Much like medical insurance, if you already have a known medical condition, then you will not be able to take on this policy.

Now you have to be extremely careful when it comes to taking on PPI covers.

This is because the market is replete with organizations selling these covers to people who are not eligible for them. Often this discrepancy comes to light at the time of PPI claims. If you have an existing loan that you are paying, a PPI will, in all probability, be a part of it. Now would be a good time to look at your documents and verify all that is there. In the case of loans, the premium for the PPI will be included as part of the sum that constitutes your loan. In addition, in the case of credit cards, you will find that it is added to your current billing each month.

There are chances that you have been sold a PPI policy mistakenly in the following cases - where you have not specifically asked for such cover or in the case where the loan company insisted that it was a compulsory part of the package and that it will work in securing the loan. There is also the possibility of wrongly being sold PPI when you did not know that it was optional and that it could have been acquired for a cheaper rate elsewhere. Most of all, if you happened to be retired or unemployed at the time of purchasing the cover, then you definitely bought it unnecessarily.

There have also been times when premiums for PPI have been paid but at the times of claims, the person has proven ineligible. What you need to find out is the duration of the policy and the benefits that are associated with it. You will also need to ask about how long it will take a claim to start paying out. Whenever you have been handed a PPI form to fill, also be wary of boxes that seem to have been conveniently ticked off for you. There are chances that you need to look into that deeper.

Actually, being eligible for PPI and reaping its benefits is a great thing if you are sure you are doing it the right way. Be careful before making your choice.

The History and Current Advantages of Workers Compensation   California Babysitters Entitled to Workers' Comp?   What Steps Should I Take When Injured at Work?   Can I Claim Workers Compensation And Social Security   

Golf Swing Made Easy - Information on How to Lengthen Your Drive and Cut Your Handicap

I've just come across a terrific book by David Nevogt , also known as 'The Golf Swing Guru' where he guarantees to lengthen your drive and cut your handicap by 7 to 12 strokes in just 2 weeks.

As a dedicated golfer, hitting off 27 on a good day! , I figure anything that can do that has got to be worth getting - even if it's only half as good as everyone says.

Some of the questions posed in this book are:- 1. Is your golf swing is providing you with the results you need to compete? 2. Are you throwing strokes away by topping, slicing or hooking the ball? 3. How many penalty strokes do you typically have during a round?

And in my case the answers are:- 1. No 2. Yes 3. Too many

How about you?

Some interesting golf facts:- Did you know there are 27 Million golfers in the world? And did you know that the average gross score is 107 ?? And less than 20% ever get a handicap under 27.

Would you like to get your handicap down to a number you'd be able to brag about?

This book explains in simple terms how you can lower your score every time you play.

And it stresses that it's your golf swing that drives your score, not your clubs or the ball you play. As David says, that is the truth in simple terms.

It seems to work though. So far in 2006 people from 16 different countries have been helped by having their swing problems fixed. And as we all know, if you fix that problem and build an easy repeatable swing all the other good stuff can be built on more easily.

Some indication of David's success can be seen from the fact that "The Simple Golf Swing" has helped 7,987 golfers during the past 2 years. This system is rated the #1 golf instruction system on the Internet and the reason is quite simple - it's because it works.

I'm looking forward to seeing the results David's going to get with my really ugly swing! I'll let you know how it goes.

The Top 5 Sports Books of All Time   

Cancer Can be Defeated: Hope, Courage, and a Strong Willpower

Tony F. Powell is the author of a new book based on his 30 years as Bush Pilot, guide and prospector in Labrador, Canada. Tony's hobby is Snowmobile Racing on his Bombardier ski-doo since 1969. Personal ship wrecks and more including History of Labrador and Voisey's Bay Giant Nickel discovery.

Tony Powell was a winner long before he arrived with his snowmobile for the recent Race on the Rock at Marble Mountain ski resort. The Charlottetown, Labrador man has been in the fight of his life since being disonsed with cancer in January of 2004.

At the time, he was told he might only have six months to live and doctors bluntly informed him only 30% of those diagnosed with his type of cancer survive. That News worsened two weeks later when doctors told him the cancer was farther advanced than originally thought.

Powell underwent surgery and had a grapefruit-sized tumor removed from his throat and 34 lymph nodes taken out. He hasn't been able to eat solid foods since.

Still undergoing radiation treatment at the Health Science Centre, he took his wife and son to Marble Mountain in 2004, even if it was just to watch the sport he loves from a window in the lodge.

Still fighting for his life, Powell returned for the 2005 version of the Uphill Drags component. This time, however his Ski-Doo Mach Z was in the back of his pick up truck and, although his 208-pound frame had been reduced to a frailer 140 pounds, he was going to compete. And compete he did, winning the Pro-Stock category, nearly sapped the little energy he had, Powell's real dream was still to be crowned King of the Hill in the open category of the up-hill drag races against 400 of the sport's best from all over Canada and the Northeastern USA... more.

Watching cancer survivor win race was better than winning lottery, his wife says. Full story is in book.

The Top 5 Sports Books of All Time