I joined WILG in its 1995 inaugural year. At those early conferences, my colleagues around the nation were battling workers' comp "deform," and engaged in political battles in their respective states, lobbying legislators on behalf of injured workers' rights. I...
Proven Advocates For Injured Workers
Firm News
The “Gig Economy”
Very interesting NY Times piece on the "gig economy," where millions of Americans work as contractors or temporary employees, along a corresponding increase in voters' economic anxieties ahead of next year's election. The full article is here. In our practice, we are...
New Underwriting Workers’ Compensation Industry Rankings
Injured workers who have been denied benefits by Travelers, The Hartford, AIG, Liberty Mutual, and Berkshire Hathaway will be pleased to know those five insurance carriers are industry leaders in writing premiums for employers. Travelers has received $3,840,000,000...
“Per Diem” Payments Latest Employer Fraud Issue in Workers’ Compensation
I have written often about the public's perception that workers file fraudulent claims in workers' compensation. The public perception (which ranges from one in ten to approximately one in three) is completely erroneous. The actual statistics indicate the incidence of...
Walker’s Workers’ Compensation in Wisconsin
Mark my words, Scott Walker will use his attempts to revamp and revise Wisconsin's workers' compensation system in his national campaign for the presidency in 2016. He will tout attempts at "increased efficiency" and cost cutting when, in fact, these efforts are...
Article Published: Wisconsin and Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Claims Comparison
Tom Domer just published an article "A Comparison of Wisconsin and Minnesota Workers' Compensation Claims" in the William Mitchell Law Review. The article was prompted by calls from Minnesota colleagues asking whether Wisconsin or Minnesota jurisdiction would be...
Making Coffee: A Work Comp Claim?
Workers in the coffee industry face potentially harmful lung exposure. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a comprehensive article ("Gasping for Action" ) highlighting the negative health effects resulting from a chemical-diacetyl-released during the coffee...
Wisconsin Legislative Update: Major Changes to Administration’s Proposed Break-Up
Ever since the Administration's initial proposed Budget Bill on February 3, 2015, the status of Wisconsin's worker's compensation system has been in doubt. With a recent compromise agreement, we now have a bit of clarity moving forward, yet many questions remain....
“Independent” Medical Examinations in Workers’ Compensation (Anything but “Independent”)
"I thought their doctor Independent Medical Report was the last word on my case. I didn't know any better." This statement from a client I just met sums up the experience of many injured workers unfamiliar with the workers' compensation process in Wisconsin (and many...
Wage Disparity and Workers’ Compensation
When I began representing injured workers at a labor law firm in the 1970s, over one-third of the workforce was unionized. Almost all the workers I represented earned the maximum amount allowable to trigger the maximum workers' compensation benefit in the event they...