Osterlund Archives - Workers' Compensation Defense

Increasing Rights: Osterlund Benefits for the Undocumented Individual & Medical Marijuana Benefits

The Connecticut workers’ compensation system is designed to assist the injured worker when claiming a valid and compensable injury. Over the years, the rights of the injured worker have been expanded, amended, and challenged. Recently, two Connecticut Review Board (CRB) decisions increased those rights once again.

Medical marijuana use has been legalized in several states; however, it is not federally legalized, which causes various issues. In Connecticut, recreational marijuana use is still illegal, while medical marijuana for certain conditions (i.e., chronic back pain, anxiety, etc.) …

August 26, 2019 Connecticut / permanent partial disability / Temporary Total Disability (TTD)

Undocumented Immigrants Lose Out on Benefits

Under the Connecticut workers’ compensation statutes (codified under Title 31), immigrants who are not U.S. citizens enjoy many, but not all, of the same rights as U.S. citizens. The workers’ compensation system affords medical and indemnity benefits to eligible claimants. Within the indemnity category, there are lost time benefits, permanency benefits, and earning impairment benefits. Particularly, this eligibility hinges on whether an individual is documented and can legally work in the United States.

Immigrants that lack citizenship or proper documentation are still eligible for medical …