Workers Comp Zone

A Partner at Boxer & Gerson LLP, Julius Young has practiced worker’s compensation law and social security disability law since 1979. He has represented thousands of individuals who have sustained life-changing injuries or illnesses while on the job. In every case, his goal is to secure the medical treatments his clients need.

May 15, 2012

DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE HEARING TODAY

The California Department of Insurance will be holding a hearing today in San Francisco on the WCIRB mid year filing requesting a hike in the advisory workers’ comp rate. THe insurance market is not required to follow WCIRB recommendations or the rate finding of CDI. Rates continue to be far, far below the levels that […]


May 13, 2012

ASCs

Do ambulatory surgery center owners do more surgery? If so, is that bad? What are the implications for workers’ comp? On an anecdotal level, I recently had minor hand surgery at an ASC. The facility was incredibly efficient, with far less bureaucracy than I had experienced with even more minor procedures in a hospital setting. […]


March 21, 2012

AB 1450

Various workers’ comp bills have ben introduced in the legislature. I’ll be covering them soon, and following them as the legislative season progresses. But today is the time to shine a spotlight on a deserving bill that might just help unemployed injured workers and victims of the economic downturn alike. It’s AB 1450. Sponsored by […]


March 17, 2012

HUNT AND PECK

This was a week where I personally learned one of the obstacles injured workers face. I was lucky. The malady was not industrial. Between my persuasive powers and the fact I knew the doctor, a thirty day wait for an appointment was reduced to one-half day. There was no UR hoop to navigate. My bleeding […]


March 16, 2012

PERMISSIVE OR MANDATORY? (PART 1)

One of the emerging successes of the Division of Workers’ Compensation under Jerry Brown is that the Medical Unit appears to be whittling down the backlog of requests for QME panels for both represented and unrepresented workers. DWC Administrative Director was recently quoted in an article by Greg Jones of workcompcentral.com on the topic of […]


March 9, 2012

CIRCULATING

One of California’s largest unions, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, is circulating two healthcare initiatives, both aimed at California hospitals. One is called the Fair Healthcare Pricing Act of 2012, the other the Charity Care Act of 2012. The latter, according to the SEIU webiste would:“Sets the minimum level of charity care at 5 percent of […]


TROUBLE AT THE UI FUND CONTINUES

California’s unemployment insurance fund continues to sink in a sea of red ink. The fund has been insolvent since 2009, with a current UI fund deficit of over $10 billion. Projections are that the deficit could grow to $13 billion by 2014. Already California owes the federal government $10 billion on a loan that has […]