Calculators Updated
Actual webcam footage of me celebrating outside in Northern California Stormageddon 2023 after fixing some wacky server issues.
Happy New Year!
If you’re poking around the site, you’ll notice I turned off a few things. Well, it seems like a tradition that a new year brings a new set of interesting server issues. I don’t really mind all that much – it gives me a little break to learn some new things, improve a few things, and get stuff working again.
Anyhow, if you stopped by the site, why not take a second to say “Hi!” or send a few words of appreciation/encouragement?
[JOB POSTING] Nor Cal DA
Sacramento – WC Defense Attorney
Purinton Law – Purinton, Jimenez, Labo & Wu LLP – Sacramento, CA, USA
Statewide Workers’ Compensation Defense Firm is looking to expand its Sacramento Office.
Our boutique firm offers:
- reasonable billing expectations
- yearly bonus
- medical, dental, vision
- 401k with match
- paperless file management
- remote work flexibility
What happened at the public hearing on the proposed regulations?
I had been looking forward to the DWC public hearing on the proposed regulations for weeks. While I didn’t get a chance to tune into the Zoom video meeting, I was able to listen to all of the public comments.
If you’ve watched the news, late night television, or tuned into any local government meetings over the last 18 months, you’re already aware there are a lot of opinions about the pandemic, the government, and the government’s response to the pandemic. Perhaps this was why I was not prepared to hear glowing unanimous support for these regulations. Every public commenter was incredibly supportive and enthusiastic about the proposed regulations relating to remote hearings.
With in-person hearings set to be implemented as soon as October 1, 2021 these changes can’t be made fast enough.
Photo courtesy of ADT
DWC Withdraws 2022 TD Update
Photo by Mike on Pexels.com
Sooo… remember when I posted about the DWC announcing the TTD rates for 2022? Yeah, well, they just issued a notice withdrawing that Newsline stating the Department of Labor information was preliminary and incomplete.
What does this mean for 2022 rates? I don’t know for sure, but I have some thoughts on the matter. Over the last few years the Department of Labor has been sluggish to update their statistics. At some point each fall the DWC is naturally faced with the unenviable dilemma of providing certainty to all stakeholders in the workers’ compensation system regarding benefit rates while still being bound by the requirements of L.C. Section 4453 to await updates from the Department of Labor. No matter your political bent or theories on the underlying causes, there is no denying the last 18 months have definitely seen a decline in the economy. The increase in the state average weekly wage of 2020 over 2019 was to be expected. Similarly, a decrease from the halcyon days of January through March of 2020 to a similar period in 2021 compared is hardly unexpected.
My guess is even though the Department of Labor data for the first quarter of 2021 is “preliminary and incomplete,” it is exceedingly unlikely any amount of additional data or massaging of these figures is going to result in an increase in the temporary disability rates for 2022.
Photo courtesy of Chris Marquardt