We frequently receive telephone calls from people who have an attorney in Duluth or the Twin Cities but have realized that traveling 100 or 150 miles for a meeting with a lawyer is inconvenient and expensive. Or, their lawyer is in a big, busy law firm and doesn’t return their calls. I understand that someone … Continue reading Local, Experienced Legal Help Right Here and Right Now in Northern Minnesota
Is it Time to Contact a Lawyer about Your Minnesota Work Comp Claim?
It’s a new month, in a new year and if you are like me, you are just starting to get organized and back into a normal routine after the stress and strain of the holidays and end of the year things to do. If you are also dealing with a work comp claim, maybe you have been … Continue reading Is it Time to Contact a Lawyer about Your Minnesota Work Comp Claim?
Are Work Comp Benefits Available After a COVID-19 Layoff?
Are there work comp benefits available to me? If you have recently been laid off as a result of the COVID-19 virus, or for any other reason, you may wonder if there are any work comp benefits available to you. In other words, if you have previously been injured on the job but were continuing … Continue reading Are Work Comp Benefits Available After a COVID-19 Layoff?
Is the Workers’ Compensation System Adequately Protecting You When You Are Injured on the Job in Minnesota?
An interesting 2016 study and report by the US Department of Labor takes an in-depth look at our workers’ compensation systems and asks the question: Does the workers’ compensation system fulfill its obligations to injured workers? The report reviews a number of programs and issues but also sounds an alarm: Working people are at great … Continue reading Is the Workers’ Compensation System Adequately Protecting You When You Are Injured on the Job in Minnesota?
New Laws Increasing Your Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Benefits
There is a little good news to report on the Minnesota workers’ compensation scene. While suffering an injury on the job is never a good thing, the state legislature has passed a few laws which increase benefits for Minnesota workers injured on or after 10/1/2018. Temporary Partial Disability benefits (TPD): These are partial wage loss … Continue reading New Laws Increasing Your Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Bradt Law Offices Case Report: Benefits discontinued after independent medical exam (IME)
Type of Case: Workers’ Compensation Legal Issue or Dispute: All benefits discontinued based upon insurance company’s independent medical exam (IME) Facts: Our client was seriously injured when she fell at work. There was no question that her injury occurred at work and the claim was accepted by the work comp insurance company and they paid wage … Continue reading Bradt Law Offices Case Report: Benefits discontinued after independent medical exam (IME)
UPM Blandin Layoffs Announced. Are Minnesota Work Comp Benefits Available?
Here in northern Minnesota, we recently received some bad news with the announcement by UPM Blandin that it plans to close down one of its two remaining paper production lines. With the permanent shutdown of Machine 5, approximately 150 jobs will be lost. This is a significant blow to our community and to the workers … Continue reading UPM Blandin Layoffs Announced. Are Minnesota Work Comp Benefits Available?
My Minnesota Work Comp Claim Was Denied Because of a Prior Injury. Now What?
This is another of the common problems we often deal with when helping people who have been injured on the job across northern Minnesota. Typical situation: you have been working for several years without any physical problems, work restrictions, lost time or any other difficulties or limitations. Then one day at work, you are lifting or … Continue reading My Minnesota Work Comp Claim Was Denied Because of a Prior Injury. Now What?
What Should I Do If I Receive a Notice of Intention to Discontinue Benefits on My Minnesota Work Comp Claim?
At some point in almost any work comp claim where you are paid wage loss benefits, you will receive a Notice of Intention to Discontinue benefits, commonly referred to as an NOID. An NOID is simply a form which the insurer is required to serve and file whenever they will be discontinuing wage loss benefits. … Continue reading What Should I Do If I Receive a Notice of Intention to Discontinue Benefits on My Minnesota Work Comp Claim?
What Is the Difference Between a Settlement Conference and Mediation in a Minnesota Work Comp Case?
Over the past several years we have seen the increasing use of mediation to settle work comp cases in Minnesota. If you have a work comp claim, you may wonder why a settlement conference was scheduled on your case but a mediation has then been proposed or scheduled. What’s the difference, and is one better … Continue reading What Is the Difference Between a Settlement Conference and Mediation in a Minnesota Work Comp Case?