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Vocational Services in Workers' Compensation L&I claims - The "Plan Development" Phase
Introduction and context Today’s post in the series about vocational benefits in workers’ compensation claims and L&I claims is about “Plan Development”. Plan Development is a big, and somewhat complex topic. Today’s post will be on…
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Vocational Services in Workers' Comp and L&I Claims - the Ability to Work Assessment (AWA)
In continuing with my recent series of posts about vocational services, today I’d like to discuss “Ability-to-Work Assessment” (AWA) services. The AWA is designed to provide the Department of Labor and Industries with vocational information so…
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Vocational Services and Retraining in L&I Workers' Compensation Claims in Washington State
Introduction If you’re in the process of working on your workers’ compensation claim or L&I claim, you might be eligible for vocational services. Vocational services are a somewhat complex benefit under the Industrial Insurance Act, b…
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Ways for Injured Workers to Advocate for Themselves in L&I Claims
One thing I try to do is to empower my clients to take an active role in the progress of their workers’ compensation claims. So many times, when injured workers meet with me, they express sadness, frustration or anger about their L&I claims…
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Workers' Compensation Claims in Washington: Industrial Injury Claim vs Occupational Disease Claim
Many people don’t realize that there are two kinds of workers’ compensation claims in Washington State, industrial injury claims and occupational disease claim. Today I participated in a deposition involving the issue of whether a claim should be…
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What is a Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) Award in Washington State?
If you have an allowed industrial injury or occupational disease claim in Washington State, Permanent Partial Disability award or PPD is likely to come up at some point. PPD award is one the monetary benefits injured workers may be entitled to under…
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Investigating an L&I Claim to Determine Best Representation Approach
When consulting with injured workers, it is not uncommon for me to suggest that the individual give me permission to investigate their claim. This is a service I offer as part of my free consultation process. While I do not represent the injured work…
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Reopening a Work Injury Claim and the L&I Claim Reopening Process
Did you know that workers’ compensation claims in Washington State can be reopened after they close? If any medical condition related to the original injury or occupational disease objectively worsens (for physical conditions) after L&I claim c…
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Injured Workers and Workers' Compensation Claims in Port Angeles, WA
Today I participated in a deposition and a hearing in Port Angeles. I have several injured worker clients that live in and around Port Angeles. Geographically, Port Angeles is located on the north end of the Olympic Peninsula in Clallam County. The s…
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Medical Records in L&I Claims and Workers' Compensation Cases
As part of an ongoing L&I claim and a workers’ compensation case, I attended today a discovery deposition of a medical expert. A significant focus of the questions asked was to address and clarify information contained in historical medical…
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