TAN to Launch 2021 Nonsubscriber Webinar Series; Part I, “Employer Round Table,” Set for Aug. 25

TAN to Launch 2021 Nonsubscriber Webinar Series; Part I, “Employer Round Table,” Set for Aug. 25

TAN’s popular webinar series is back and will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 25, with Part I: An Employer Round Table. The event will feature a robust discussion of the experiences, lessons and challenges faced by nonsubscribing employers as they’ve weathered COVID-19 and enter a period of returning workers and their operations to post-pandemic normalcy. David Peavler, regional director of the Securities and Exchange Commission, will lead an employer-focused discussion on “Creating a Return-to-Work Plan for Post-COVID Reopenings.” Peavler was part of a national effort to develop a plan the White House required for federal agencies to follow as they return their employees to work. A panel of nonsubscribing employers will also be featured during the presentation. The webinar will close with a legal panel discussion on how employers are navigating the legal issues that have and continue to arise related to COVID. The event is free for TAN members.

Part II of the webinar series will be held in September and will focus on other medical, safety and administrative issues employers are managing as they navigate the pandemic.

To register for Part I: An Employer Roundtable, click here.

OSHA Offers Employers Guidance for Reopening

As organizations begin to reopen, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration advises employers to be aware that the pandemic might have increased employees’ stress, fatigue and distractions. It says workers may need “refreshers” on safety and health training.

The agency also advises employers to address any maintenance issues they deferred during a shutdown. OSHA recommends employers update standard operating procedures and remember that exposures to hazards may increase during shutdown and start-up periods. For example, employers should review and address process safety issues — including stagnant or expired chemicals — as part of their reopening effort. Employers are reminded that they are prohibited from retaliating against workers who raise concerns about safety and health conditions.

OSHA provides coronavirus-related guidance to help employers develop policies and procedures that address the following issues:

  • Workplace flexibility
  • Engineering and administrative controls, safe work practices and personal protective equipment
  • Training workers on the signs, symptoms and risk factors associated with the coronavirus
  • Basic hygiene and housekeeping practices
  • Social distancing practices
  • Identifying and isolating sick workers
  • Return to work after worker illness or exposure
  • Anti-retaliation practices

OSHA’s guidance for employers also includes frequently asked questions related to coronavirus in the workplace, such as around worksite testing, temperature checks and health screenings, and the need for personal protective equipment.

You may click here to review OSHA’s “Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19.”

Annual Injury Index Highlights Leading Causes of Workplace Injuries

U.S. businesses spend more than $1 billion a week on serious, nonfatal workplace injuries, according to the Liberty Mutual 2021 Workplace Injury Index. The most disabling workplace injuries cost employers $58.61 billion a year, with $52.28 billion spent on the top 10 injuries alone.

The index ranks the top 10 causes of serious, nonfatal workplace injuries by their direct costs to U.S. businesses. The top 10 and their costs are:

  • Overexertion involving outside sources (handling objects) includes injuries related to lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying or throwing objects. Overexertion costs businesses $13.30 billion in direct costs and accounts for 22.7% of the overall national burden.
  • Falls on same level rank second, with direct costs of $10.58 billion, and accounts for 18.1% of the total injury burden.
  • Falls to a lower-level rank third at $6.26 billion and 10.7% of the burden.
  • Struck by object or equipment (being hit by objects) ranks fourth at $5.61 billion and 9.6%.
  • Other exertions or bodily reactions, which include bending, reaching, twisting, climbing, crawling, kneeling, sitting, standing, walking and running, rank fifth at $4.71 billion and 8.0% of the total injury burden.
  • Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle (vehicle crashes) rank sixth at $3.16 billion and 5.4%.
  • Slips or trips without fall cost $2.52 billion and 4.3%, and rank seventh.
  • The No. 8 ranked injury source was struck against object or equipment, at $2.46 billion and 4.2%.
  • Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects (running equipment or machines) rank ninth at $2.01 billion and 3.4%.
  • Repetitive motions involving microtasks rank 10th at $1.66 billion and 2.8%.

No Noticeable Pandemic-Related Delay in Medical Treatment for Injured Workers for Non-COVID-19 Claims, Finds New WCRI Study

A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) investigates patterns of medical care access and utilization that are specific to workers’ compensation during the first quarters of 2020 to understand how the timing and delivery of medical treatment were impacted by the pandemic.

“In our previous work, we examined the effect of the spread of COVID-19 along with the accompanying massive decline in economic activity on workers’ compensation claim composition. In this report, we continue examining the impact of the pandemic on workers’ compensation, shifting our attention to the timing and patterns of medical care delivery,” said John Ruser, president and CEO of WCRI.

The main focus of the study, The Early Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Treatment for Workers’ Compensation Non-COVID-19 Claims, is on non-COVID-19 lost-time claims with injury dates in the first two quarters of 2019 (pre-pandemic) or 2020 (pandemic period). The following is a sample of the study’s major findings:

Claims with injury dates in the first two quarters of 2020 did not experience any noticeable delay in medical treatment as compared with the waiting time for claims with injuries in the first two quarters of 2019. In fact, several service types showed some slight improvement in waiting time from injury to medical treatment—in particular, for claims with injuries in the second quarter of 2020, emergency room services, physical medicine, major surgery, and neurological and neuromuscular testing were provided sooner.

In states hit hardest by the pandemic during the study period (Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey), patients sustaining work-related injuries during the early months of the pandemic did not have longer waiting times before getting medical treatment across eight service groups. There was shorter duration for select service types. In particular, major surgery on average happened sooner—2020Q2 claims had about a 5-day shorter waiting time than 2019Q2 claims, with the average number of days decreasing from 16.3 days to 11.7 days from injury to major surgery.

Fractures and lacerations/contusions occurring in the first half of 2020 and 2019 did not have statistically different times before first medical services for most service types, except for a slightly shorter time before emergency services in 2020. In particular, for lacerations and contusions occurring in the second quarter of 2020, time to emergency services decreased from 0.6 days to 0.4 days on average.

For soft-tissue claims with injury dates in the first two quarters of 2020, no substantial delay in treatment for most services was observed, with some exceptions. The average number of days to major surgery increased for other non-spinal sprains and strains occurring in the first quarter of 2020—an increase of about 3 days, from 57 days in 2019 to 60 days in 2020.

For lost-time claims with injury dates in the first two quarters of 2020, the shares of claims across eight types of services remained largely the same as the two first quarters of 2019. However, the study reports a 4-percentage point drop in the share of claims with emergency room services, which is consistent with the expectation that people would want to avoid going to the emergency room because of fear of virus contraction.

This study also examines the effect of the pandemic on timing of care for existing claims—claims with injury dates in the third and fourth quarters of 2019 as compared with experiences for claims with injury dates in the third and fourth quarters of 2018. This analysis includes non-COVID-19 claims with paid medical services for private sector workers and local government employees. The study tracks changes in key measures describing medical service utilization patterns for workers injured in 27 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. These study states represent 68 percent of the workers’ compensation benefits paid in the United States.

To learn more about this study or to download a copy, click here.

Select Medical Partners With CDC on Study of Individual Rehabilitation Needs Following COVID

Former COVID-19 patients may benefit from additional clinical support, including tailored physical and mental health rehabilitation services, according to a study recently released by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with Select Medical. The study, based on data from 1,295 post-COVID-19 patients, published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), examined the rehabilitation needs and outcomes of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Study data was obtained from the electronic health records of patients referred to Select Medical’s national network of more than 1,800 outpatient rehabilitation clinics from January 2020–March 2021.

The CDC examined patient-reported measures of health, physical endurance and health care utilization. It compared patients who had recovered from COVID-19 and a control group of patients needing rehabilitation for a current or previous cancer diagnosis. This control population was chosen because they completed the same initial evaluations as did patients referred for post-COVID-19 rehabilitation. The latter group had not experienced COVID-19.

Compared with control patients, post-COVID-19 patients had higher odds of reporting worse physical health, and difficulty with physical activities after adjusting for age and sex. Post-COVID-19 patients also experienced decreased physical endurance, measured by a six-minute walk test, compared with control patients. The study concluded that among patients referred to outpatient rehabilitation, those recovering from COVID-19 had poorer physical health and functional status than those who had cancer.

“These findings indicate that patients recovering from COVID-19 could benefit from additional personalized rehabilitation services aimed at both physical and mental health,” said Diane Brozowsky, senior vice president of clinical operations of outpatient rehabilitation at Select Medical, and a co-author of the MMWR paper.

The CDC study also validates Select Medical’s Recovery and Reconditioning Program (R2 Program), which was developed in partnership with leading physicians, including physiatrists, pulmonologists, infectious disease specialists, as well as physical and occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs), to focus on specific deficits in patients recovering from COVID-19 as well as other illnesses and conditions.

Following evidence-informed program guidelines, licensed therapists tailor a plan of care to address patients’ specific needs and goals to resume pre-COVID activities and routine. The program, which launched in June 2020 amid the pandemic, is available across Select Medical’s national network of outpatient rehabilitation centers in 39 states, many of which are “direct access” and do not require a physician referral to receive care.

Select Medical is one of the largest operators of critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation clinics and occupational health centers in the United States. The company is a member of the Texas Alliance of Nonsubscribers (TAN). Select Medical’s R2 Program will be featured during Part II of TAN’s 2021 Nonsubscriber Webinar Series slated for September.

The full study results can be found by clicking here.

The Conscientious Employees and Remote Work

A recent study from Colorado State University looked at the effect of working remotely on highly conscientious employees. It found both strong job performance and a high risk of burnout among these workers.

Conscientiousness is a fundamental personality trait that reflects being responsible, organized, hardworking, goal directed, and adhering to norms and rules. In an office setting, it is the trait that correlates mostly closely with job performance, and is associated with increased motivation and productivity, good work-life balance and general well-being. However, these workers also tend to be perfectionists and workaholics, taking on more work than they can handle or than the job requires. This, in turn, can lead to high turnover rates, illness and burnout. While less conscientious workers may rate poorly on job performance, they also can be flexible and spontaneous in stressful situations.

The research was first done in 2019, surveying nearly 500 white-collar employees and supervisors at a major hospitality company. Using questions about reliability, efficiency, perseverance and thoroughness, the study identified those employees who were highly conscientious about their work. After the pandemic hit, the researchers ran the survey again, posing the same set of questions to the same group of people, most of whom were now working remotely.

The researchers predicted that being conscientious about work would correlate with job performance, and that this link would be even stronger once people were working from home. The surveys backed up this prediction, but also found that in 2020, highly conscientious employees working from home had lower job satisfaction and felt more stress than their less conscientious co-workers.

The study pointed to “situational strength” as an explanation for these results. Situational strength in an office comes from having a clear office culture, with well-defined norms and cues for behavior, such as consistent work hours, set arrival and departure times, standards of dress and behavior, and set rules on taking work home or answering work-related email and texts on weekends. Conscientious employees tend to thrive in this setting.

Dan Ganster, a co-author of the study, said that working from home removes all these norms and cues, leading to open-ended, ambiguous work and performance expectations. Without the boundaries set by daily office routines, conscientious employees tend to want to get even more done and exceed whatever standards they believe exist. This leads to both higher job performance and the risk of burnout.

Ways to reduce burnout and turnover among remote workers:

  • Carefully monitor work hours
  • Encourage leisure time
  • Balance autonomy ­— which conscientious workers value — with ambiguity
  • Set well-defined policies limiting emails and conference calls outside of work hours
  • Offer a wellness program that targets workaholism

To review the full study, click here.

Preparing for the Next Wave of COVID-19
By Dr. Trang Nguyen - MedicusRx

As many have already heard, COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in Texas and around the country.

It’s important to stay aware of the source and validity of the information that’s being shared about the pandemic. The data should be evaluated carefully. For example, data changes rapidly and differs by reporting definitions. Not all areas have data to report. Definitions of probable cases versus confirmed cases will affect the total counts. Positive tests are not the equivalent of positive cases; a patient may have more than one test. Data are gathered by various methods, locations and time frames.

The next major wave of COVID-19 may hit this fall or winter. Employers should strongly consider encouraging employees to get the COVID vaccine.

However, that’s not the only vaccine that employers should encourage. Here are four additional key vaccines that adults ages 50-65 should have:

  1. Flu Shot: Only 48% of adults received the flu vaccine in 2020. There are more than 100 strains of influenza. Each year, the flu vaccine covers only four of the possible 100 strains. Therefore, it’s important to get a flu shot every fall to decrease the risk of contracting the most common strains of influenza.
  2. Tetanus vaccine: Every adult should receive a Tdap vaccine at least once in their lifetime. Tdap covers tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (the bacteria that causes whooping cough). After receiving a Tdap, it’s recommended that adults receive a tetanus booster (Td) every 10 years. With a large wound, it’s recommended that the Td is updated if the last booster was more than five years ago.
  3. Zoster vaccine: Zoster is a virus in the herpes family that causes shingles, a painful skin rash that can lead to long-term nerve pain and other complications. There are two vaccines that protect patients against zoster: RZV (Recombinant Zoster Vaccine, which goes by the brand name Shingrix) and ZVL (Live-Attenuated Herpes Zoster Vaccine, which goes by the brand name Zostavax).

    It’s recommended that patients get two doses of RZV when they turn 50 years old, or one dose of ZVL after age 60.
  1. Pneumococcal vaccine: Pneumococcus is the bacteria responsible for many cases of bacterial meningitis and bacteremia (a blood infection). It also causes the most pneumonia-related hospitalizations in the U.S. each year.

The good news is that there are two vaccines that help prevent Streptococcus pneumoniae infections. It’s recommended that adults over age 65 receive the PCV13 (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, which goes by the brand name Prevnar 13) first, followed by the PPSV23 (Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine, which goes by the brand name Pneumovax 23) one year later.

Finally, employers should continue to encourage proper hand washing, social distancing and face masks!

Decline in Drug Testing Occurring

The combination of a tight labor market and more states legalizing marijuana use has caused organizations nationwide to eliminate or scale back drug testing new applicants.

Currently, 18 states as well as Washington, D.C., have adopted laws that legalize some form of adult recreational use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. States added to the list in 2021 include Connecticut, New Mexico, New York and Virginia.

Some companies, including Amazon, have removed marijuana from their workplace drug tests. Several others have quietly stopped testing for marijuana.

Quest Diagnostics saw a 5.2% drop in the number of organizations testing for THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, over a five-year period between 2015 and 2020, according to a report by CNN. The news organization quoted a senior executive at Quest Diagnostics who said state cannabis laws have been a major driver of this private-sector shift, however, the executive also said economics are also a factor.

In the two years leading up to the pandemic, the U.S. labor market reached almost full employment, meaning employers had to scramble to find ways to attract workers and many organizations reduced drug testing. With the pandemic easing, industries such as food services are struggling to attract and retain workers and many have dropped drug testing to retain staff.

Vacation Time Sought to Disconnect From Work, Address Burnout

Nearly half of all professionals polled said they are more burned out on the job today than a year ago and blame heavier workloads. One in three professionals polled say they will take at least three weeks of vacation in 2021.

New research from global staffing firm Robert Half suggests many workers are worn out and ready to make up for lost vacation time. Robert Half conducted online surveys in March and April of more than 3,800 workers at U.S. companies with at least 20 employees.

According to the surveys, nearly half of professionals surveyed (44%) said they are more burned out on the job today compared to a year ago, up from 34% in a similar 2020 poll. Nearly half of employees experiencing increased fatigue (49%) blame it on a heavier workload.

In a separate survey of professionals, 25% said they forfeited paid time off in 2020 and 33% plan to take more than three weeks of vacation time this year.

57% are ready for an “awaycation” to travel and completely disconnect from work; in comparison, 32% prefer a staycation, and only 11% favor a “workcation,” or a vacation that combines work and leisure.

COVID News

Safety + Health
OSHA Revises National Emphasis Program on COVID-19, Updates Enforcement Plan
OSHA has revised its National Emphasis Program on COVID-19 and updated its Interim Enforcement Response Plan. Click here for full article.

Business Insurance
NCCI will Treat COVID-19 as Catastrophic Comp Event
The COVID-19 pandemic will be treated as a catastrophic event in workers compensation loss cost/rate filings, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Click here for full article.

Insurance Journal
Workers’ Compensation Research Study Shows No Treatment Delays Due to COVID
COVID-19 did not delay medical treatment for workers’ compensation claimants, but did decrease the amount of emergency care and other services provided to injured workers, a study released by the Workers’ Compensation Institute concludes. Click here for full article.

USA Today
Private Companies must Require Vaccines for Workers. It’s the Only Way to get Past COVID.
The United States has made COVID-19 vaccines accessible and free. Go to almost any local pharmacy or pop-up site, and you can easily get the shot – and pay nothing. And yet, only about 50% of Americans are fully vaccinated against this deadly virus. Click here for full article.

The National Law Review
OSHA Issues Updated Guidance on COVID-19 Enforcement
On July 7, 2021, OSHA issued revisions to its National Emphasis Program for COVID-19, DIR 2021-03, and released an Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019. Click here for full article.

Insurance Journal
Five Ways to Position Workers’ Compensation in a COVID-19-impacted World
With prevailing economic pressures widely expected to persist, more and more businesses will consider different ways to adapt, including the possibility of smaller, less skilled, and/or over-burdened workforces. Click here for full article.

Insurance Journal
Lessons from the Pandemic for Workers’ Compensation
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us tough lessons. We have learned the strengths and limitations of globalization, our public health systems, and our ability to respond during a crisis. Click here for full article.

gccapitalideas.com
Workers’ Compensation Insights for Remote Work
The health threat of COVID-19 is fading in the United States, but the pandemic will likely drive lasting change, including in how we work. Employers need to be ready to manage associated risks, including the prospect of compensable injuries occurring in employees’ homes. Click here for full article.

The Charlotte Observer
Those Battling COVID in NC Rarely get Workers’ Comp. ‘You have to Fight so Hard.’
When the pandemic shuttered most North Carolina workplaces, Bruce Trivett had no way to earn his pay from home. Click here for full article.

Must Read Alaska
Veterans Affairs mandates Covid vaccine for workforce
A Covid-19 vaccine mandate that will apply to about 115,000 workers in the U.S. Veterans Administration will go into effect in eight weeks. Click here for full article.

Safety + Health
57% of U.S. Adults Want Masks Required for all Onsite Workers: Survey
About 6 out of 10 U.S. adults believe masks should be a requirement for workers at onsite locations, even if those workers are fully vaccinated, according to the results of a recent Harris Poll survey commissioned by the American Staffing Association. Click here for full article.

Occupational Health & Safety
What to Look for in an N95 Mask (and How to Spot a Fake)
If a company is looking to purchase N95 masks, chances are some, if not all, of its employees need respiratory protection due to contagious or infectious diseases, chemicals and other dangerous inhalants. There are many factors that go into the N95 purchasing decision, from price and quality to comfort and production origins. Click here for full article.

Axios
Exclusive: People who Wore Masks were Less Likely to get Sick
Turns out that wearing a mask and social distancing really weren’t a waste of time. Click here for full article.

WebMD
What You Need to Know About the Delta Variant
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the world, public health officials are watching certain coronavirus mutations and variants that may be more contagious or deadly than the original strain. Viruses constantly change to adapt and survive, and variants emerge when a strain has one or more mutations that differ from others. Click here for full article.

KHN
Government Oversight of Covid Air Cleaners Leaves Gaping Holes
Stephen Matthew Shumaker counted on in-home, in-person demonstrations to drive his water filtration business, which serves the Atlanta area. So when covid-19 hit and no one was inviting people indoors, he turned to the air-cleaning part of his operation. Click here for full article.

State News

The North Bay Business Journal
California Businesses may have to Pay More for Workers’ Compensation as Benchmark Rates are Under Review
While it has little to do yet with the coronavirus, workers’ compensation insurance rates may be going up. Click here for full article.

Insurance Journal
California Commissioner Lowers Workers’ Comp Benchmark
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara adopted and issued lower rates for workers’ compensation insurance benchmark rate by 5 cents to $1.41 per $100 of payroll effective Sept. 1. Click here for full article.

The North Bay Business Journal
California Senate Rejects Workers Compensation Proposal
The California Senate on Thursday rejected a bill aimed at making it easier for health care employees to have hospitals pay their medical bills related to COVID-19 and other diseases that may have been contracted on the job — a move business groups said would have cost them too much money. Click here for full article.

JDSupra</
The Important Role of Nurse Case Managers in Workers’ Compensation Medical Case Management
In Maryland, a “nurse case manager” is a nurse who is certified by the State Board of Nursing to provide case management services, including but not limited to interviewing the worker for the purpose of implementing and coordinating services with health care providers and with the worker and the worker’s family. Click here for full article.

WorkersCompensation.com</
Oregon OSHA Adopts Emergency Rule Bolstering Protections for Workers Against the Hazards of High and Extreme Heat
Oregon OSHA today adopted an emergency rule that strengthens requirements for employers to protect workers from the dangers of high and extreme heat. Click here for full article.

Insurance Journal
5.44% Workers’ Comp Rate Decrease Approved in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Mark Afable has approved an overall 5.44 percent decrease in worker’s compensation insurance rates, effective Oct. 1, 2021. Click here for full article.

Industry News

SHRM
Manage Workers’ Compensation Claims from Telecommuters
Whether tripping over computer cords or their dogs, more remote workers are injuring themselves at home during the pandemic, leading to an increase in telecommuters’ workers’ compensation claims. Click here for full article.

Bloomberg Tax
Hybrid Return-to-Office Plans: Infinite Possibilities—and Problems—for Employers
Probably the biggest trend in employers’ approaches to return-to-work protocols is the adoption of hybrid plans—partly allowing continued work from home or other remote work, while requiring or encouraging presence in the office on some regular basis. Click here for full article.

Property Casualty 360
Should Workers’ Comp Cover Medical Marijuana?
With the majority of states now having some form of medical marijuana laws on the books and 19 allowing recreational adult use, questions remain on how workers’ compensation systems should address the myriad of arising issues. Click here for full article.

The Boss Magazine
5 Common Misconceptions about Worker’s Compensation
Worker’s compensation is a benefit that workers are awarded if they get hurt while on the job and are unable to earn paychecks during their recovery period. However, there are many myths and misconceptions about worker’s compensation that you need to be aware of if you land in the position of wanting to lodge a claim. Let’s look at the 5 common misconceptions about worker’s compensation. Click here for full article.

Business Insurance
Comp Renewals Flatten after Years of Decreases
After years of reductions, workers compensation midyear renewals saw some flattening, with insurers competing to balance comp business with other more volatile lines, according to experts. Click here for full article.

EHS Today
Remote Workplace Safety Checklist
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work, how businesses operate and our work-life balance—especially when working from home. Remote work, working from home or telecommuting has become one of the most widespread, immediate results of the pandemic. Click here for full article.

Property Casualty 360
Unpacking the Role of Workers’ Comp
The U.S. workers’ comp system emerged from 2020 “stronger than ever,” according to Bill Donnell, National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), which reported that premiums declined 10% during 2020, while losses from the pandemic were not as dramatic as initially expected. Click here for full article.

The Seattle Times
Ransomware Attack may have Exposed Personal Data in Thousands of Workers’ Comp Claims
A ransomware attack on an outside contractor for Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries may have exposed contact information and other personal data for more than 16,000 workers’ compensation claimants. Click here for full article.

WorkersCompensation.com
Workers’ Comp and Infectious Diseases
I came into law school from a rather non-traditional background; I have a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a master’s in epidemiology, and I am a self-proclaimed infectious disease nerd. Click here for full article.

Website
Top 6 Tips to Win your Workers’ Compensation Claim
There are a number of reasons why your worker’s compensation claim can be denied. Insurance companies usually try to find any loophole they can to deny you the compensation. If this happens to you, there are certain steps you need to take to win your compensation claim. Click here for full article.

Bloomberg Law
Ex-NFL Player’s Jury Award Tossed for Failing to Show Residence
A former offensive lineman signed by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys was stripped of a workers’ compensation award by a Dallas County jury after he failed to show he lived in the county when he suffered a career-ending injury. Click here for full article.