Boston Workers Compensation Attorney Blog

If you were hurt at work, the Massachusetts workers’ compensation system is designed to provide you with compensation for your medical expenses and weekly payments to make up for your lost wages. This system is complex, and there are many steps you must take before you are deemed eligible to receive compensation. One of the biggest issues in a workers’ compensation case is determining whether the injured worker is still capable of performing light duty or alternative job tasks. At the Law Office of Michael O. Smith, our Boston workers’ compensation lawyers believe in providing personalized and vigorous legal counsel to injured workers.

A recent decision from the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents involved a determination regarding an injured worker’s light duty work capacity. The injured woman in the case was 63 at the time she was hurt as a personal care assistant. According to the worker, she suffered a serious back injury when she was assisting a client with moving in and out of bed. Her testimony said that the pain was a knife-like stabbing sensation that radiated through her back to her leg and foot. She filed a workers’ compensation claim and received temporary incapacity benefits from her employer’s workers’ compensation insurer.

As part of the workers’ compensation claims process, injured workers are required to undergo an impartial medical exam to determine the nature and extent of their injuries. The worker in this case underwent an exam, and the doctor concluded that she suffered a chronic lumbar strain that involved and created other associated conditions, such as a degenerative spine disorder. The worker and her employer both concluded that the woman could no longer engage in her same work duties. Once the woman received a number of medical treatments, the doctor cleared her to perform light duty job functions but later changed this conclusion based on subsequent examinations revealing that she was not able to perform light duty work.

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There are countless different types of injuries that can occur while you are on the job. As knowledgeable Boston workers’ compensation lawyers, our attorneys have assisted many Massachusetts residents with understanding their right to compensation following a work-related injury. As a result, we have experience dealing with a wide array of injuries, including permanent and catastrophic injuries.

A recent Massachusetts review board decision discussed whether a man who lost his hearing as a result of working in subway tunnels was entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. The worker was employed in the subway tunnels for over two decades. The noise levels in subways are extremely high, especially as the trains depart and enter each station. There is a loud screeching noise that is emitted and that echoes throughout the tunnels. Despite this hearing danger, the employer prohibited workers from using any type of ear protection due to the safety risks involved.

In 2004, the man reported that he was suffering hearing loss, and this was an ongoing issue for him for the next 12 years. In 2012, the man retired and applied for employment elsewhere. According to him, he had trouble gaining employment because of his difficulty hearing. Many occupations for which he would be qualified saw his hearing loss as a safety risk. He finally obtained a custodial job with the Postal Service.

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Many people are aware that a personal injury claim is subject to a statute of limitations, which is a law requiring an injured party to file a claim within a certain period or waive his or her right to recovery. There are also statutes that apply to receiving workers’ compensation benefits. At the Law Office of Michael O. Smith, our Boston workers’ compensation lawyers have guided numerous injured people through the claims process and assisted them with determining whether they are entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits.

A recent claim appeal highlights why it is so critical to pay attention to the statute of limitations for your claim. The injured employee worked as a nurse when she suffered an injury to her neck in 2010. For the following year, the employee attempted to continue working, but the pain was too much. She underwent a surgical procedure to address the issue. This rendered her unable to work for over four months. The injured employee received a few short-term payments of disability benefits, but she did not apply for workers’ compensation benefits with her employer’s insurance carrier.

The woman returned to work for a period of time in 2014, but her neck pain ultimately led her to quit working. This also led to another surgical procedure involving a fusion and discectomy in 2015. Once the procedure was complete, she did not return to work. That same year, she applied for workers’ compensation benefits from the final date of her employment. Initially, the administrative law judge assigned to her claim awarded her temporary total incapacity benefits. The insurance carrier for the employer filed an appeal, and multiple hearings ensued.

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Some work injuries are minor and heal over time, while others are more severe and can result in serious or even permanent disabilities. If your injury will leave you requiring medical care and other expenses well into the future, it is essential that you receive the full amount of benefits and medical expenses reimbursement that you need and deserve. At the Law Office of Michael O. Smith, we have assisted many injured workers facing serious disabilities, and we are prepared to help you.

The Massachusetts workers’ compensation review board recently considered an issue involving a serious injury. The injured worker was seriously injured while working in a psychiatric ward. A patient attacked the worker, striking and kicking his abdomen. The attack was so severe that the worker became unconscious as a result. Unsurprisingly, the injured man required extensive medical attention for his several injuries. Medical records show that he sustained a leg fracture, chronic leg pain and lumbar pain, and deep vein thrombosis.

The injured worker initiated a workers’ compensation claim with his employer’s insurance carrier, requesting many different benefit payments, including temporary total incapacity payments and benefits to compensate him for his extensive medical bills. At issue with this initial request was the fact that the employee suffered from a pre-existing seizure disorder. The administrative law judge (ALJ) overseeing the claim awarded these benefits. The ALJ concluded that the new injuries were separate and distinct from the employee’s pre-existing condition.

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There are many types of work-related injuries that are eligible for compensation under the Massachusetts workers’ compensation system. Some of the most obvious examples include sudden injuries like falls, broken bones, and head injuries. You can also receive compensation for injuries that develop over time as a result of repetitive tasks and motions, such as typing, stacking boxes, or cashiering. For many repetitive injuries, the pain and disabilities that result are permanent and leave the victim with a lifetime of injuries. At the Law Office of Michael O. Smith, our seasoned team of Boston workers’ compensation lawyers has handled a wide variety of work injury claims, and we are standing by to help you capture the maximum amount of benefit payments and reimbursement that you deserve.

Recently, a Massachusetts appellate court considered a workers’ compensation claim in which the injured employee suffered a repetitive elbow injury resulting in permanent pain. The injured worker reported a left elbow injury resulting from repetitive tasks that she performed at work. The injury required a number of surgeries that were ultimately unsuccessful at improving her condition. As a result of the work injury, the employee experienced ongoing nerve pain. She also developed a condition called complex regional pain syndrome. In 1999, the employee accepted a lump sum settlement, including a provision that required her employer’s insurance carrier to provide compensation for any necessary and reasonable medical expenses associated with her injury.

In the following year, the employee was prescribed a series of pain medications to help control her pain condition, including Fentanyl and Vicodin. She also earned a new educational degree and started a new job. In 2009, she was involved in an accident outside work and developed additional pain-related conditions, resulting in a prescription for Lyrica. She then sought reimbursement of these medical expenses with the original insurer and filed a claim against her second employer’s insurance company, seeking benefit payments. The administrative law judge assigned to her claim denied her request for benefits. While appealing the decision, she dropped her claim with the new employer’s insurance carrier.

If you have been injured at work, the Massachusetts workers’ compensation system provides benefit payments to cover your medical expenses and lost wages. In order to receive these benefits, however, you must file a claim and prove a variety of aspects related to your injury and likelihood of recovery. One of these factors that can be difficult to establish is the extent of your injury. The experienced Massachusetts work injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Michael O. Smith have assisted numerous Boston workers with establishing the scope of their injury so that they can secure the benefit payments that they need and deserve.

A Massachusetts appellate court recently decided a case involving a scope of injury issue. The worker was a plumber who had a history of neck-related pain that arose during his sleep. He received a medical procedure for this injury in 2004 and was later approved to return to his usual occupational duties. A few years later, the self-employed plumber accepted a position with a plumbing company. About nine years later, the man informed his employer that he was feeling stiffness and pain in his neck following his use of a hammer drill. He then scheduled an appointment with a neurosurgeon, who treated his symptoms.

The plumbing company accepted liability and paid benefits to the man for a short duration. He then filed a claim requesting that his incapacity benefits continue on a non-temporary basis. The judge assigned to the workers’ compensation claim approved the claim and required the plumbing company to pay continuing incapacity benefits. The worker underwent a medical examination by a neutral doctor. This physician determined that the neurosurgeon who recently treated the man did not adequately apportion his symptoms among his pre-existing neck condition and the work-related injury. The plumbing company filed a motion requesting that the judge consider this new information, which the judge allowed.

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Workers’ compensation is designed to provide benefits for individuals who are injured on the job. Although many people are aware that this includes physical injuries, fewer people are aware that it also provides benefits for individuals who suffer mental and psychiatric injuries as a result of work-related accidents or conditions. As dedicated Massachusetts work injury lawyers, we have helped many workers secure the benefits they deserve.

In a recent appellate opinion, a Massachusetts court upheld an award of workers’ compensation benefits to a woman who suffered a foot injury and a related psychiatric condition. The woman sustained an injury to her left foot when she fell down a stairway while on the job. Her employer’s workers’ compensation insurer did not dispute her claim for benefits for what her doctors described as an orthopedic foot injury. According to records provided in the claim, the woman had also made two claims for benefits regarding a psychiatric condition and corresponding treatment. The insurance carrier also approved benefit payments for the woman’s psychiatric condition and paid out partial incapacity benefits in addition to a portion of temporary total incapacity benefits.

Shortly after the award of these benefits, the woman received a number of surgeries to address her foot injury. After the procedures, however, she reported continued pain, numbness, and a persisting inability to walk or stand normally. She also reported that as a result of this debilitating condition, she was suffering from severe depression, anxiety, and anger. The workers’ compensation judge assigned to the claim reviewed this evidence and determined that the woman was completely and totally disabled as a result of both the physical and the mental condition. As a result of this finding, the judge ruled that she was entitled to receive the remainder of the temporary total incapacity benefit payments.

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The Massachusetts workers’ compensation system is designed to ensure that injured workers receive the support and compensation that they deserve for their injuries, lost wages, and medical bills. Although workers’ compensation insurers are meant to assist injured workers with adjudicating their claims in a timely fashion, they often do not act in the injured workers’ best interests and attempt to deny or terminate payment of benefits prematurely. As seasoned Boston workers’ compensation lawyers, we can help you ensure that you receive the fair treatment that you deserve. A recent workers’ compensation appellate opinion illustrates some of the issues that insurers raise on appeal in an attempt to avoid paying benefits.

In the case, the insurer appealed from a decision declining its motion to discontinue, modify, or recoup benefits that were paid to one of its employees who suffered injuries while at work. In March 2014, the employee suffered an injury to her neck and head in a motor vehicle accident that occurred during work. The insurer did not contest liability for the neck and head injuries, but the employee’s request for payment of medical expenses and treatment was denied. The worker filed a claim to recover compensation for these expenses. The insurer requested a modification of the temporary total incapacity benefits that the employee had been awarded, which the judge denied. The judge also required the employer to pay for the employee’s claimed medical expenses. The insurer appealed, and the judge once again issued an order refusing to modify the employee’s award of temporary total incapacity benefits.

The insurer asserted four grounds for reversal in its appeal. First, it alleged that the judge misstated expert medical opinions in reaching the decision to deny the modification. Second, it alleged that the judge substituted his own opinion for the opinion of the impartial medical examiner in an impermissible fashion. Third, it alleged that the court did not appropriately consider the impartial medical examiner’s opinion in reaching its decision. Finally, the insurer alleged that the court failed to identify sufficient evidentiary findings regarding the worker’s prior employment.

The workers’ compensation claims process can be daunting, especially if you are dealing with painful injuries and serious disruptions to your life. Once you are awarded benefits and compensation for medical expenses, there is no guarantee that this award will remain unchanged. Employers can request modifications or terminations of benefits after the original award. There are many procedural rules involved with this review process, and many of them involve the type of evidence that a judge must consider when deciding whether to modify or terminate a benefits award. As dedicated Boston workers’ compensation lawyers, we have assisted many injured employees with protecting their right to compensation, and we are ready to assist you.

A recent appellate opinion discusses a situation in which an employee challenged a court’s decision to deny benefit payments. The injured employee was working as a cook and general laborer at the time that he was injured. The employee reported slipping and falling off a ladder while he was cleaning an ice machine. Although the employee attempted to return to work after receiving medical treatment, he was sent home because he was unable to perform his job duties.

The employer’s workers’ compensation insurer paid temporary total incapacity benefits and later filed a complaint, asking the court to discontinue or modify the benefit payments. The judge effectively granted the request, and the employee appealed. As part of the appeal, the employee underwent an impartial medical examination. During a hearing regarding the appeal, the employee filed a number of motions, including one seeking to strike one of the impartial medical examiner’s reports. The court denied this motion. The parties also submitted a joint exhibit containing additional medical records.

Different governmental regulatory agencies have jurisdiction when it comes to certain Massachusetts workers’ compensation issues. The Department of Industrial Accidents is a state-level agency that helps administer and determine rights, responsibilities, and benefits for injured workers. The federal sentence handed down to a Boston restaurateur shows the overlapping jurisdiction of various agencies when it comes to fraud schemes, including workers’ compensation fraud.

The defendant’s jail sentence was a result of a multi-agency investigation, which included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Massachusetts Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB).

The IFB is a Massachusetts agency that investigates potentially fraudulent insurance actions, including those involving workers’ compensation insurance coverage. As a governmental body charged with investigating insurance fraud, it refers certain cases for criminal prosecution. Although the investigative division was likely the most closely involved in this case, it also maintains administrative, legal, and analytic divisions. Citizens are free to report or refer potentially fraudulent activity to the IFB, which will often work with insurance companies’ special investigation units in the course of its investigation.

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