Some Important Tips you should know about Workers Compensation Insurance in Fort Myers
For many years, Workers Compensation
bad faith remains one of those rarely-discussed topics due to many
factors. The subject rears its ugly head for what seems approximately
twice per year. The worn-out catchphrase is “sent a chill over the
industry.”
The workers compensation claimant
bar has been pursuing bad claims handling as a tort for over 50 years. Yes,
there have been some successes in this area.
Workers Compensation Board
Jurisdiction
The Workers Comp Board or Industrial Commission usually retains
the authority over claims handling issues. If one looks at the current
Appellate Court cases, the judge usually remands the case back to the lower
court – usually the Appeals level within the respective workers compensation
board or commission. We provide service like homeowners insurance, condominium association insurance, work compensation insurance, Hurricane insurance .We
provide our services in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Okeechobee,
Clewiston and Labelle.
Approximately 20 years ago, an
adjuster was found to have altered claims forms after obtaining signatures from
the employer and employee. The changes to the forms occurred due to the
adjuster wanting the claims agreement forms to be approved by the workers compensation
commission. The adjuster even admitted altering the agreement forms. What
happened to the case? The Court of Appeals remanded the case back
to the Full Commission as they were deemed to have jurisdiction.
Exclusive Remedy
Exclusive remedy has always kept
most claims issues within the board or commission’s authority. If one
cannot sue their employer can they also not sue their adjuster?
Exclusive remedy is one of the
underpinnings of how Workers Compensation insurance survives to this day. Exclusive
remedy means that an injured claimant cannot sue his employer as a liability
matter. Likewise, the employer cannot sue the employee for contributory
negligence.
Structured Environment
Workers compensation, overall,
operates in a very structured environment. For example, making an offer to
settle on a property or auto liability claim has many unknowns as to
value. Offering too low (low balling) can be a path to a bad faith
claim.
Workers comp bad faith remains a
very structured environment. All the variable are pre-calculated from the
Average Weekly Wage to a fee-schedule medical bill.
The great
unknown of Workers Compensation barely exists from the way a First Report of
Injury is filed to the settlement approval process. Contact us 239-204-3211.
Visit my website:-
Business address:-
5240 Bank St., Stet 3, Fort Myers, FL 33907
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