This blog regularly touches on legal topics concerning Michigan’s workers’ compensation schemes. The laws which demand employers provide insurance coverage to their workers has a catch. Known as workers’ compensation exclusivity, an injured worker is generally only able to recover insurance benefits from an accident. In other words, he or she cannot also sue their employer for negligence. This issue was recently raised in frontContinue reading
Category Archives: Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation resources available to Michigan employees
Workers’ compensation can be confusing. From the regulatory requirements imposed by the state, to the medical quirks of an actual claim, it’s difficult to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the topic with a quick Google search. As a result, various groups and organizations publish materials intended to spoon feed the information to their recipients. For instance, Michigan’s business communities regularly publish guides to help employersContinue reading
Michigan’s drop in workers’ compensation premiums
As word of Michigan’s big savings in workers’ compensation premiums continues to spread, locals are asking more questions about where those savings are coming from. Everyone from local economic groups to the governor are touting the savings as great for all involved from employers to employees. The effect on these two groups, however, are generally divergent. The less employers have to pay for insurance premiums,Continue reading
Michigan’s workers’ compensation rates continue to fall
Economic development organizations across Michigan are buzzing about a recent report published this past week. According to the report, Michigan companies have experienced a 27.7 percent decrease in workers’ compensation costs since 2011. Since local companies are the ones that fund the state’s workers’ compensation insurance system, economic groups intend to use these stats to encourage new companies to set up shop here in Michigan.Continue reading
Michigan employers struggle with workers’ compensation costs
A new report suggests that federal government employers’, including those in Michigan, efforts to control workers’ compensation costs have been hit and miss. While the total amount of costs have dipped $100 million in the past two years, it remains nearly a billion dollars more than the cost just 10 years ago. As a result, employers, like the Army and NASA, have been tinkering withContinue reading
Michigan workers’ compensation: employee killed in work accident
A Kent County Road Commission worker was killed recently in what officials described as a work related accident. According to reports, the 42-year-old was killed at a construction site when he was struck by a motor grader. The incident happened around 8:00 a.m. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration were called in to investigate the death. Such incidents are not altogether unheard of. MichiganContinue reading
Saginaw workers in Jeopardy of being denied workers’ compensation
Most Saginaw workers recognize that, if they are injured on the job, their employer’s insurance carrier must reimburse them for medical expenses and time away from work. This general concept, though, fails to explain what types of injuries will entitle a worker to benefits. Certainly, if a construction worker is thrown from a ladder and breaks his leg, benefits will be paid. What is lessContinue reading
Michigan workers’ compensation questions do have answers
Many of us are fortunate enough to never have to file a workers’ compensation claim. As a result, the process and administration of a claim may seem extremely hazy to some. When an incident at work does occur, then, we are struck with the uncertainty of how workers’ compensation will apply to us. Michigan’s Workers’ Compensation Agency, however, publishes online materials which are meant toContinue reading
Shortfalls affect workers’ compensation for certain employees
This blog routinely focuses on Michigan’s workers’ compensation legislative scheme. For the vast majority of employees in the state, the local laws will govern his or her rights to benefits after a workplace injury. Federal laws, however, may also affect a worker’s right to compensation. For instance, the federal Longshore and harbor Workers’ Compensation Act covers employees working in maritime professions on the country’s navigableContinue reading
Michigan employees protected by Workers’ Compensation Act
Since 1912, injured workers in Michigan have been protected by the Workers’ Disability Compensation Act. While the Act has undergone significant changes in the past 100 years, the intention of the Act has remained materially the same. Carried out by Michigan’s Workers’ Compensation Agency, the Act is meant to provide compensation for those injured on the job, while also regulating an employer’s liability. According toContinue reading
