Workers’ Compensation Protection for First Responders, Medical Personnel and Other Workers On March 17, 2020, state legislators proposed an emergency bill to cover first responders, medical personnel and other workers for COVID-19, the Coronavirus infection. This law applies to emergency medical technicians, emergency room and urgent care medical personnel, and emergency room and urgent care …
When you may be entitled to Workers’ Compensation benefits for Coronavirus (COVID-19) Under the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation law, contracting an infectious or contagious disease, like COVID-19 (Coronavirus), may be considered work-related where the nature or circumstances of the employment create such an unavoidable risk that it is considered inherent to the employment. Click below to …
Opiate Pain Medication A worker’s compensation insurance company was ordered to continue to pay for an employee’s opiate pain medications over 20 years after her original injury. This case was decided by the Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) Reviewing Board in Fall River, Massachusetts. A case summarized by workers’ compensation Attorney Juliane Soprano. Shelly Chapin, …
Injured worker’s medical marijuana claim ‘goes up in smoke’ at a time when the opioid epidemic continues to make headlines, here in Massachusetts and nationwide. Many doctors have begun prescribing medical marijuana as an alternative to addictive opioids and narcotics for patients suffering with chronic pain. Because of this, marijuana/cannabis/THC pills and edibles are becoming …
Read moreInjured Worker’s Medical Marijuana Claim Goes Up in Smoke
Social media isn’t always a friend in this is the age of “sharing” so beware, it can and will be used against you in a court of law. Everything from what we ate for breakfast to what we did last weekend is posted on a regular if not continual basis. It is not just words …
Read moreSocial Media Can and Will Be Used Against You in a Court of Law
Due to the cataclysmic financial meltdown of the mid-2000s, many seniors find themselves in a position that requires them to keep working long beyond their intended retirement goal. Some had retired already and found themselves forced back into the workforce, many times in a much different capacity than their former careers. It is fair to …
Accidental Disability Retirement ADR vs. Worker’s Compensation Benefits When employees of the State of Massachusetts, a town, city, or county suffer a workplace accident, they are potentially entitled to both state Worker’s Compensation benefits as well as Accidental Disability Retirement benefits (ADR). Although these benefits have elements in common there are significant differences. First, Worker’s …
Attorney Sarah Clymer of the Law Offices of Juliane Soprano recently received a favorable decision in a Social Security Disability claim that dragged on for nearly five years. After a denial of benefits at a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge, an appeal to the Social Security Administration Appeals Council and a further appeal to …
Read moreHiring the Right Attorney is the Difference Between Winning and Losing
If I am Terminated, am I Entitled to Sick Pay and Vacation Pay? Controversy regarding sick pay and vacation pay in Massachusetts causes concern for employees and employers. In Massachusetts, The Wage Act, G.L. C. 149, requires employers to pay employees’ wages on a weekly or biweekly basis. If an employee leaves the employment by …
I was injured on the job, can I sue my employer? The short answer is no. In Massachusetts, Worker’s Compensation is an “exclusive remedy”. This means that if you are injured at work, and your employer carries worker’s compensation insurance, you may only recover benefits under the Worker’s Compensation System. Purpose of the Worker’s …