Author: SRTK Shareholders
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Published July 13, 2022
SRTK Celebrates 43 Years
SRTK is proud to celebrate our 43rd anniversary of being California’s leading workers’ compensation defense firm. Thank you to our clients and team members for your continued partnership! You continue to show that we are stronger together!
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Published May 19, 2022
Recent Important Changes At Our Firm
Clients and Friends of the Firm,
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In light of the recent retirements of SRTK shareholders practicing in Northern California, and considering our ability to remotely handle cases as a result of CA’s post-pandemic workers’ compensation landscape, we have decided to consolidate our operations to our Southern California offices. -
Published April 11, 2022
Christine Elliott Wins Voluntary Dismissal of COVID Workers’ Compensation Claim Before Trial
Christine Elliott was able to secure the voluntary dismissal of a COVID claim after aggressively pushing the matter to Trial. The COVID allegations did not qualify for any statutory presumptions, and the case was denied based on lack of evidence that applicant contracted COVID at work.
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Published March 21, 2022
Jesse Peck Secures Noteworthy Victory in Decision on Reconsideration in Retroactive Temporary Total Disability Workers’ Compensation Case
Jesse Peck of SRTK’S Orange Office recently achieved an excellent result on a retro TTD issue for our client via Reconsideration. In fact, the Decision on Reconsideration was designated as a “Noteworthy Panel Decision”
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Published March 7, 2022
Joanne Thomas to Present “Risks, Rewards & Results of Service Providers” at CSIA’s 2022 Annual Meeting & Conference
This year’s CSIA conference will be in person – at Disneyland. Joanne Thomas will speak as part of the keynote panel, “Risks, Rewards & Results of Service Providers,” an examination of issues that anyone in the workers’ compensation field should know about.
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Published February 22, 2022
Anastasiya Franco Presents “Workers’ Compensation: An Overview From Employer’s Perspective” as a Live Webinar for the Orange County Bar Association, Wednesday, February 23, 2022
This program will provide an overview of the Worker’s Compensation system in California from the employer’s point of view. The webinar has been approved for 1.0 hours of MCLE credit for attendees.
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Published February 16, 2022
Updated Requirements for Workplace Postings Offer Employers Flexibility
Employers adjusting to a remote workforce or who have employees who do not often come into the office still maintain a duty to post notices in the workplace, including under LC 3550/8CCR 9881. Pursuant to the newly-adopted LC 1207, effective 1/1/22 employers may now ALSO email the information to employees.
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Published February 16, 2022
Kathleen Roberts Earns Take Nothing In Workers’ Compensation Claim Past The Statute Of Limitations
Kathleen Roberts of SRTK’s San Jose office recently secured a big win, earning a “take nothing” in a case where the Applicant had an admitted knee injury and was given surgery. The Applicant Attorney didn’t like the QME’s rating, and decided to file a second date of injury which would have allowed him to get a new panel.
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Published January 25, 2022
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Published January 11, 2022
SRTK Proudly Supports Local Animal Shelters and Rescues – Join us in Our 2022 Towel & Blanket Drive!
This year’s Towel & Blanket Drive will conclude the week of Valentine’s day, with drop-off boxes at all of our Southern California offices. Please contact our Director of Client Services, Melissa Downing, for more information or to donate.
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Published January 5, 2022
Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) New Updated Final Rules In Effect Beginning January 1, 2022
Califonia’s Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) has formalized its Rules of Practice and Procedure regarding remote hearings, electronic filing and service which were developed during the COVID pandemic, resulting in some new and updated rules. The new rules are effective January 1, 2022 and signal a shift to a more paperless (electronic) process for documents being served by both the court and by the parties.
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Published November 4, 2021
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Published October 25, 2021
Temporary Total Disability Rate Updates Announced, Effective January 1, 2022
The rate changes are pursuant to Labor Code Section 4453(a) (10), which requires that the maximum and minimum weekly earnings that determine TTD benefits be increased yearly, by a percentage equal to the increase in the State Average Weekly Wage (SAWW). Workers with injury dates on or after January 1, 2003 are entitled to have their weekly Life Pension (LP) or permanent total disability (PTD) benefits adjusted based on the updated data.
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Published October 11, 2021
California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation Emergency Regulations for Medical-Legal Evaluations and Reporting Extended Through January 11, 2022
On October 4, 2021, California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) announced that emergency regulations §§ 36.7 and 46.2 have been extended through January 11, 2022. Below is a summary of what the emergency regulations provide.
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Published September 2, 2021
Kathleen Roberts Earns Take Nothing In Grocery Worker Case Claiming Vacation Injury As Work-Related
Kathleen Roberts recently earned a take nothing in a grocery worker case.
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Published August 2, 2021
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Published July 30, 2021
California Division of Workers’ Compensation Copy Service Price Schedule Amendment Gets Hearing Date
The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has set a public hearing for Monday, August 30th, 2021, at 10:00am, to amend the Copy Service Price Schedule. The proposed changes stand to significantly increase costs for medical-legal reports.
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Published July 22, 2021
Join Joanne Thomas for “Obtain Legally. Leverage Wisely.” as part of the Worker’s Compensation Insitute (WCI) Annual Conference
SRTK Shareholder Joanne Thomas will speak as part of the panel “Obtain Legally, Leverage Wisely: Investigation of Claims, 2021 and Beyond” on Tuesday, December 14th, 10:00AM – 11:00AM Eastern. The panel will cover tricks of the trade, as well as potential pitfalls in evidence gathering, as well as strategies for presenting surveillance to medical providers and using evidence in depositions to defend claims.
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Published July 19, 2021
Kathleen Roberts Earns Take Nothing In Trucker Case Alleging Psychiatric Injury Over Epithet
Kathleen Roberts, Managing Shareholder of SRTK’s San Jose office, recently earned a take nothing in a case involving a trucker who claimed a psychiatric injury following an incident involving an alleged racial slur. The claimant sought an estimated $40,000 in retroactive TTD over 18 months, and would have included an unknown percentage of PD, which had not yet been evaluated.
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Published July 13, 2021
SRTK Celebrates 42 years!
Today is our 42nd anniversary of being California’s leading workers’ compensation defense firm. Thank you to our clients and team members for your continued partnership, especially this past year!
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Published May 21, 2021
California Legislature Compels Study On Workers’ Compensation Delays And Care Access Issues In Medical Provider Networks
The study, to be delivered no later than January 1, 2023, must compare data for injury claims in which workers were treated by a medical provider network (MPN) with the same data for those treated by doctors not part of an MPN.
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Published May 19, 2021
SRTK Proudly Presents “Understanding Knee Injuries: The Role of Physical Therapy in Work Comp,” A Free National Worker’s Compensation Webinar
SRTK is proud to join MKCM in sponsoring WorkCompCentral’s national webinar “Understanding Knee Injuries: The Role of Physical Therapy in Work Comp.” This essential webinar on workers’ compensation will provide insight into one of the most injured body parts, and how understanding these injuries can lead to better claims management and results. Attendees will earn an hour of CEU credit, and gain a deeper understanding of this critical area of workers’ compensation practice.
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Published May 14, 2021
Joanne Thomas Successfully Defends Case Resulting in 18 Felony Workers’ Compensation Fraud and Perjury Charges
Joanne Thomas recently defended a workers’ comp case in which her skillful approach to deposition questioning led to the District Attorney filing 18 felony charges including Perjury Under Oath and False or Fraudulent Statements. From the outset, Joanne’s crafted a strategy to leverage investigative methods and careful questioning to achieve the best result for the client.
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Published May 14, 2021
Joanne Thomas Joins The Transitions Team As A Mentor To Help Foster Workers Compensation Talent
SRTK is pleased to announce that our CEO Joanne Thomas has joined the mentorship team of The Transitions, and will apply her years of experience and insight to helping workers’ compensation professionals develop themselves and their teams.
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Published May 3, 2021
Joanne Thomas to Present “Case Law… The Top Cases You Need To Know About” at CSIA’s 2021 Annual Meeting & Conference
This year’s California Self-Insurers Association Annual Meeting & Conference will feature a special presentation by Joanne Thomas, covering four essential cases that anyone in the workers’ compensation field should know about. Joanne will go into depth on what each of these cases means, and how they can impact Workers’ comp claims for employers and insurers alike.
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Published April 30, 2021
SB-335 Will Be Heard By CA State Senate Appropriations Committee on May 10th
The Califonia State Senate’s Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee passed SB-335 by a vote of 4-1, moving it on to a hearing by the Appropriations Committee on May 10th at 9am. The bill, proposed by Senator Dan Cortese (D-San Jose), would shorten the window for employers to reject workers’ compensation claims from 90 days to 45 days.
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Published April 26, 2021
Hearing Scheduled On Multiple Workers’ Compensation Bills, Including Medical Provider Network Creation
The California legislature’s Assembly Insurance Committee will hear testimony on Thursday regarding several pieces of workers’ compensation legislation, including a proposal for the creation of a state-wide network of medical providers for the treatment of injured workers. The deadline for DWC to establish the network could be June 30, 2022.
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Published April 20, 2021
Tim Kinsey Welcomes Rescue Dogs At LAX with Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue
SRTK’s Tim Kinsey is a long-time supporter of Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue (SCGRR), and has had the honor of assisting SCGRR in finding forever homes for a great many domestic and international rescue dogs. The latest Korea arrivals to SCGRR include Pobi, Hank.. and a very special four-year-old Golden… Kinsey!
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Published April 12, 2021
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Published April 5, 2021
New Medical-Legal Fee Schedule & Regulations Effective April 1, 2021, Including Fee Multipliers
The California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation’s new Medical-Legal Fee Schedule (MLFS), which took effect on April 1st, 2021, will significantly increase the cost of medical-legal evaluations, and may have a wider impact on contested claims than initially indicated. The regulations apply to all evaluations taking place on or after April 1st, 2021, and include new multipliers that can further increase the cost of exams and evaluations.
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Published April 5, 2021
Joanne Thomas Speaks On Mentorship As Part Of The Transitions’ Webinar Series
Joanne Thomas recently participated in a new webinar series by The Transitions, offering her thoughts on mentorship in the workers’ compensation industry, and how leaders can develop and nurture talent within their organizations.
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Published March 11, 2021
Summary of California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation Emergency Regulations for Medical-Legal Evaluations and Reporting
As announced yesterday, California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) emergency regulations §§ 36.7 and 46.2 have been extended through October 12, 2021. Below is a summary of what the emergency regulations provide. This extension is in accordance with California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Orders N-40-20 and N-71-20, and is the first 210-day extension of these regulations.
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Published March 9, 2021
Jesse Peck Wins At Trial With Findings & Award Under Life Pension Threshold
Jesse Peck, Senior Managing Attorney of SRTK’s Orange office recently won at trial, securing a very positive outcome for our client in a case involving multiple claims that could have resulted in a combined rating and Life Pension benefits.
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Published February 16, 2021
Back By Popular Demand! Join Joanne Thomas, Tim Kinsey, and Dr. Raj Das for “COVID-19 Claims… How do you respond?”
SRTK Shareholders Joanne Thomas and Tim Kinsey will be joined by Dr. Raj Das to present “COVID-19 Claims… How do you respond?” This special program will explore the complexities of coronavirus-related workers’ compensation claims, and offer unique perspectives including medical guidance and best practices in defending such claims.
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Published February 5, 2021
Kathleen Roberts Earns Take Nothing In Elevator Scuffle Workers’ Comp Claim Case
Kathleen Roberts, Managing Shareholder of SRTK’s San Jose office, recently won big for a client, earning a Take Nothing in a case where an employee got into an altercation with a supervisor, and claimed an injury when the scuffle moved to the elevator. The claim was denied based upon the initial aggressor affirmative defense under LC3600(a)(7).
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Published February 3, 2021
Employers: Stay Ahead of Additional Reporting and Posting Requirements for COVID-19
The global health crisis has spurred numerous pieces of legislation related to workers’ compensation, with a maze of requirements to navigate. Now, more than ever, it is important for employers to carefully take into consideration all applicable rules and regulations to ensure compliance and minimize risk.
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Published February 1, 2021
Shareholder Joanne Thomas to Present “Obtained Legally, Leveraged Wisely” from the California Self-Insurers Association
SRTK Shareholder Joanne Thomas will speak as part of the virtual event “Obtained Legally, Leveraged Wisely,” a virtual event on Tuesday, February 23rd, 10:00AM PST, presented by the California Self-Insurers Association (CSIA).
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Published January 18, 2021
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Published January 13, 2021
Encore presentation: Joanne Thomas, Tim Kinsey and Dr. Raj Das Present Best Practices for COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation Claims
SRTK Shareholders Joanne Thomas and Tim Kinsey will be joined by Dr. Raj Das for an encore presentation of “COVID-19 Claims… How do you respond?” This special program presented by MacroPro & Friends explores the complexities of coronavirus-related workers’ compensation claims, and offers unique perspectives including medical guidance and best practices in defending such claims.
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Published January 8, 2021
Joanne Thomas, Tim Kinsey and Dr. Raj Das Present Best Practices for COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation Claims
SRTK Shareholders Joanne Thomas and Tim Kinsey were joined by Dr. Raj Das to present “COVID-19 Claims… How do you respond?” This special program presented by MacroPro & Friends explored the complexities of coronavirus-related workers’ compensation claims, and offered unique perspectives including medical guidance and best practices in defending such claims.
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Published December 16, 2020
California WCAB Suspends Rule on Assignment of Walk-Through Cases
In an en banc decision Tuesday morning, California’s Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) suspended WCAB Rule 10789(c), which requires that each district office have a designee of the presiding judge available on court days to assign walk-through cases, citing the ongoing state of emergency and marking a shift from the current “e-file only” approach. This allows district offices to schedule their own timeframes based on staffing and safety.
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Published November 30, 2020
Shareholder Joanne Thomas to Present “Obtain Legally, Leverage Wisely” from the National Council of Self-Insurers
SRTK Shareholder Joanne Thomas will speak as part of the National Council of Self-Insurers’ virtual event “Obtain Legally, Leverage Wisely,” a virtual event on Tuesday, December 1st, 9:30-11:30AM PST, presented by the National Council of Self-Insurers (NCSI).
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Published October 30, 2020
Joanne Thomas, Tim Kinsey and Dr. Raj Das Present Best Practices for COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation Claims
SRTK Shareholders Joanne Thomas and Tim Kinsey will be joined by Dr. Raj Das to present “COVID-19 Claims… How do you respond?” This special program will explore the complexities of coronavirus-related workers’ compensation claims, and offer unique perspectives including medical guidance and best practices in defending such claims.
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Published October 23, 2020
Deadline for Reporting COVID-19 Cases is October 29th – Don’t put yourself at risk!
The updated Labor Code section 3212.88 requires employers to report to their claims administrator ALL positive test results for COVID-19 by their employees (whether a claim has been filed or not).
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Published October 16, 2020
SRTK Sponsored Webinar: “Fentanyl: Evolving Role in Drug Overdose”
SRTK is proud to sponsor the upcoming webinar “Fentanyl: Evolving Role in Drug Overdose,” hosted by myMatrixx and MKCM National Case Management. Join us on December 2nd, 2020 at 11:30am Eastern (8:30am Pacific) for a webinar that offers 1 Pharmacy CEU credit in addition to in-depth analysis of fentanyl’s role in the opioid epidemic.
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Published October 7, 2020
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Published September 30, 2020
Worker Charged with 11 Felony Counts After Video Evidence Emerges in Workers Compensation Insurance Fraud Case
A worker who sustained injuries repairing a water line subsequently claimed additional injuries and a lack of improvement, and has been charged with multiple felony counts, including workers’ compensation fraud and presenting false documentation in order to receive compensation.
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Published September 21, 2020
Key Highlights of the COVID Presumption Law
Senate Bill 1159 and AB 685 stand to be a huge consideration in workers’ compensation cases due to COVID-19. Please review our “Key Highlights of the COVID Presumption Law,” and contact us if you have questions about what the law means for you.
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Published August 27, 2020
Legislative Update: Amended COVID-19 Presumption Bills Remain Under Review as California Senate Closes Due to Coronavirus
The three bills under review to establish workers’ compensation presumptions for COVID-19 cases are still pending discussion, with more proposed amendments expected and negotiations anticipated to continue leading up to closure of the legislature’s 2020 session on Monday, August 30th. Discussion of the bills stalled when Wednesday’s floor session was canceled and the Senate closed temporarily due to a member testing positive for COVID-19.
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Published August 14, 2020
California Legislature Votes, Will Hold Appropriations Committee Hearing on Multiple Bills to Create COVID-19 Presumptions for “Essential” and Other Workers
As we have written previously, the California state legislature will begin to hear testimony on Senate Bill 1159, in a session beginning August 11th at 10am. In addition, testimony will be heard on two other bills, Assembly Bill 196 (AB 196) and Assembly Bill 664 (AB 664). These two bills create separate presumptions, one conclusive and one rebuttable, that cover essential employees.
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