The claims business is a stressful one. Employees who are injured are in
pain. Employers can be frustrated by individuals they see as taking advantage
of the company. Adjusters are under demands to make decisions about hundreds of
matters a day and scrutinized in hindsight about those actions. Attorneys are …
well, difficult to deal with even on a […]
KDA welcomes Jarvis B. Läkemäker as an associate concentrating his
practice in the firm’s Civil Litigation Practice Group, representing companies,
individuals, and government employees and agencies in a variety of civil
matters. Military service brought Jarvis to Georgia in 1999 where he served as
an intelligence analyst and security manager for the 13th Corps Support
Battalion at Ft. Benning. Following […]
By: Ken David, Esq.
Pursuant to Board requirements, effective January 1, 2019, Insurers/TPAs must file Form WC-1 on all claims, including all “medical only” claims. The Board will assess penalties for failure to timely file a WC-1 after January 1, 2019, pursuant to the provisions of O.C.G.A. §§ 34-9-12(a), 34-9-18 and Board […]
By: Ken David, Esq.
It is that time of year when you want to close your files and claimants want some holiday money. With that in mind, let’s review some core aspects of settlements.
There are two types of final settlement: Liability and No Liability. You can always structure a
settlement as […]
By: Ken David, Esq.
We all know from experience that there is not a high success rate for spinal
cord stimulators in a workers’ comp claim, especially ones where there is
litigation. At KDA, Jennifer Smith and Jarvis Lakemaker have been studying this
issue and below are their thoughts on a recent AP study along with a link […]
By: Ken David, Esq.
Let’s
make something hard a little bit easier. We are still confronted with the
challenge of how to deal with Medicare’s interests in many of our settlements,
particularly six figure ones. Although it is certainly possible to write a book
on all the requirements and details of navigating the MSA system, here you will
find a […]
By: Belinda Be, Esq.
Always one of the most popular sessions at the conference, the discussion on recent Appellate Division decisions was led this year by Judge Benjamin Vinson, one of the three Appellate Division judges. The panel covered many cases, but the most relevant cases reviewed are below, and address a light duty job […]
By: Sarah Hegener, Esq.
By now, you may have had a Petition for Medical Treatment (PMT) call on one of your files. This new medical authorization process was implemented by the State Board of Workers’ Compensation in July 2017 to assist with expedited authorization for medical treatment recommended by an authorized treating physician (ATP) and […]
By: Wesley Moore
As in years past, the opioid drug epidemic and resulting impact on workers’ compensation cases was a prominent topic at the seminar. Dr. Carlos Giron of the Pain Institute of Georgia discussed alternatives to opioids. Considering the addictive nature of the drugs, Georgia physicians are exploring alternative treatments that will assist with […]
By: Jennifer Smith, Esq.
We are pleased to welcome Sarah Hegener as our newest associate and Wesley Moore as our law clerk.
Sarah’s practice will concentrate in the area of workers’ compensation defense, representing employers, insurers and third party administrators throughout Georgia. Prior to joining the firm, Sarah practiced municipal law for a small firm in […]
