third-party actions Archives - Workers' Compensation Defense

October 14, 2019 General / Medical Expenses

Timing Negotiations Where Claimant Has a Third Party Action

Clients frequently seek advice on how to resolve workers’ compensation claims. Often, as attorneys, we are in the best position to negotiate a settlement when we have some leverage on issues impacting a claimant’s entitlement to benefits, such as cases where labor market attachment has been raised or a client’s consultant is of the impression that a claimant has no further causally related disability. In short, timing is everything in negotiations.

Timing is also important when attempting to resolve a workers’ compensation claim where the …

June 24, 2019 Disability Benefits / New York

Credit on SLU Payments and Recovery of a Third-Party Action Lien: Why They Live Together in Perfect Harmony

In New York, Workers’ Compensation Law Section 15(4-a) provides a carrier the right to take a credit against a subsequently determined schedule award for disability payments that have already been received for the same injury. This is relatively common knowledge in the world of workers’ compensation, and this credit is never met with much pushback from claimant’s counsel – unless, of course, a third-party action is involved.

Under Workers’ Compensation Law Section 29, the carrier is permitted both a recovery of benefits previously paid – …