Once again I met a new client and checked with the BWC as to “older claims”.  The individual had 4 older claims, that died because he had never requested his injury award. What a shame. The dead claims were probably worth in the area of $6,000.  Protect yourself.  Read on . . . .
Contact a Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist to check if you have any claims that have hidden money available to you. Many people don’t know they have an Ohio BWC claim because the hospital or urgent care filed a work comp claim so they get paid for medical services. The injured worker never sees a bill, may never miss a day of work, yet a claim exists. In this event, there is a potential monetary award available for the injury. But, there are time limits. Don’t let your claim die!

Don’t lose the compensation to which you are entitled.  Contact Mike Gruhin to see if you have any open claims that can produce a money award.

© 2011, Gruhin & Gruhin Attorney's. All rights reserved.

Yesterday, I received a call from a prospective client regarding a workers’ compensation claim. This injured worker stated that the employer stated that it did not have any BWC coverage, so a claim should not be made.

The injured worker believed that if there is no coverage, there can be no claim. To make matters, the worker sent in a letter saying the injury did not take place during work to see if health insurance would cover all of the medical bills from the serious injury suffered on the job.

In Ohio, even if your employer has no BWC coverage, you can still make a claim. The employer would be considered a non-complying employer by the BWC. Once the injured worker is granted a valid BWC claim, the BWC pays all of the compensation (medical bills, prescriptions, lost wages, injury money, etc.). The injured worker is fully covered.

The BWC then goes after the non-complying employer and seeks reimbursement dollar for dollar. The bottom line – if you get hurt on the job, make an accident report, tell a co-worker, get medical attention if necessary, and call a workers’ compensation specialist.

You can’t go it alone. The climate in BWC is not employee friendly. You need protection in order to obtain all of the benefits to which you are entitled

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© 2009, Gruhin & Gruhin Attorney's. All rights reserved.

You are found to be at MMI. Your temporary total disability ends. Now what?

It depends on the specific facts of your claim, but in general the following actions can be taken:

1) see if your doctor feels that your claim can be amended to include a new diagnostic condition, either physical or emotional. If you obtain a new claim condition/allowance, you will have new and changed circumstances. You would be entitled to seek temporary total disability compensation from the date you were last paid.

2) At any time during your claim, while you are on Temporary Total Disability, you can seek entrance into Vocational Rehabilitation. In VocRehab, you are eligible to receive Living Maintenance compensation, which can lead to Living Maintenance Wage Loss for a period of 200 weeks for pre 8-25-06 claims and for a period of 125 weeks for post 8-25-06 workers’ compensation claims.

3) Go back to work and wait the statutory time to apply for your injury money. If you are returned to work with restrictions, you may be entitled to seek working wage loss. Again, depending on the actual date of your work injury, you are entitled to either 200 weeks of wage loss or 125 weeks of wage loss (see item 2 above for claim date requirements).

It is best if you discuss this finding of MMI with your attorney. If you don’t have an attorney, you should get one ASAP. Look for a Certified Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Specialist.

Feel free to call Mike Gruhin at Gruhin & Gruhin. He would be happy to discuss your claim with you.

© 2009, Gruhin & Gruhin Attorney's. All rights reserved.

With everything I see as a Workers’ Compensation Specialist, all I can say is this – any injured worker going it alone on a workers’ comp claim may as well bare his/her throat and tell them to cut your jugular vein!

Why You Need a BWC Specialist Lawyer

The OhioBWC has lawyers to represent its interests and your Employer has lawyers to represent its interests,  because it all boils down to saving money in claim payments at your expense.

If a workers’ comp claim really was something you could do yourself, why does “the other side” have lawyers?

The above fact alone should be sufficient to give you the “heads-up” that you need a lawyer representing you & protecting your right to medical treatment and money awards!

© 2009, Gruhin & Gruhin Attorney's. All rights reserved.

Your OhioBWC Claim is Labelled Medically Inactive – Your medical bills are not being paid – Your medical care is in limbo – What can you do now?

Pursuant to The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (www.ohiobwc.com), workers’ compensation claims become medically inactive after 14 months goes by without having the OhioBWC pay for claim related Medical Treatments, Prescription Medication, or Diagnostic Testing.

Don’t let that happen to you. If your claim is denied for medical treatment, you have the right to appeal the denial of treatment. Because there are time limits within which to appeal, you should do so immediately. Contact your lawyer and let him/her know what is going on in your claim. Take immediate action.

If you don’t have a workers’ compensation lawyer, call Mike Gruhin at Gruhin & Gruhin. Mike is a Board Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist. Let Gruhin & Gruhin protect you when you get hurt on the job.

The moral of this post – if you have a workers’ compensation claim, you should see your doctor as needed, as determined by your physician, but at least once every 10-12 months. Don’t let your claim become labelled INACTIVE.

© 2009, Gruhin & Gruhin Attorney's. All rights reserved.