Author Archives: Jay Butchko
New Law Passed Extending PTSD Coverage For First Responders
In 2019, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed a law extending coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) coverage to police and firefighters. On June 30, 2021, Lamont signed an extension to the law that permits coverage for paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), emergency dispatchers and correction officers. This is an exception to Connecticut’s normal laws… Read More »
What Is ‘Maximum Medical Improvement?’
In workers’ compensation cases, it is common to hear the term ‘maximum medical improvement’ (MMI), which is the point at which a work-related injury is unlikely to ever heal any further. MMI is an important metric for an injured worker, because once a medical professional holds that MMI has been reached, the worker can… Read More »
Can I Collect Social Security Disability Benefits If My Work Injury Is Permanent?
If someone sustains a severe injury while at work, they can file a claim under their employer’s workers’ compensation coverage so that they can focus on recovering first and foremost. However, if the disability is too serious to allow a return to work, the procedure for seeking and claiming benefits may differ. This is… Read More »
Can I Ever Sue My Employer For A Work Injury?
When you are injured on the job, you are generally expected to seek help for that injury through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. An injured worker has the right to reasonable medical care, as well as wage-loss benefits designed to cover expenses during the worker’s period of recovery. In exchange for that care, you… Read More »
Are Injuries On A Break Still Covered By Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation covers any injury sustained in the course and scope of one’s employment. However, there are moments where someone’s status – in terms of whether they are “at work” or not – is up for debate, which can throw a workers’ compensation claim into doubt. One of the most common scenarios is when… Read More »
Auto Accidents On The Job
When a worker is hurt on the job, it is generally assumed that their injury will be covered by workers’ compensation insurance (assuming that their employer has coverage) because it happened on their employer’s premises. However, not every work injury happens at work—sometimes workers may have to leave the premises as a part of… Read More »
Can I Receive Workers’ Compensation If I Catch COVID-19 On The Job?
It has been nearly a year since the first cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) began to appear in the United States. Throughout the entire period, employers have had to adjust on the fly to balance the needs of their businesses with the welfare of their employees, though some employers have instead simply cut… Read More »
What Happens When A Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Claim Is Denied?
Most of the time, when you are injured on the job, you expect that you will be able to receive care under your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance coverage. However, sometimes a valid claim may be denied due to mistake or due to your employer’s insurer doubting the truth of how you were injured, among… Read More »
Does Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Provide Death Benefits?
No one wants to contemplate the possibility of death on the job, but it can happen. Several of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most dangerous jobs are represented in Connecticut, from loggers to roofers to construction workers, and if you work in this kind of occupation, it is not out of the realm of… Read More »
Worker Classification Determines Workers’ Compensation
During the end of the 2010s, more and more employers have shifted their workers away from being full employees to being contractors or part-time staff. Ostensibly this is done to save on overhead, but the fallout for workers is very real. Connecticut law does not guarantee workers’ compensation benefits to anyone except employees, and… Read More »