September 14, 2018 Bar Meeting Minutes
Old Business
- No Old Business
New Business
- Introduction of Guests
- New Business
- Planning Social in October
- October Meeting Date
- Update on Website
- Payment of Dues – sending notice and website showing delinquent but working to fix it
- Working on Issues on website
- Picture on Website
- Literacy Forsyth Spelling Bee
- Facebook Page- Follow us
- Sharing community events,
- Announcements from Bench
- Superior Court
- Court Calendar coming out by October 1, 2018 for 2019
- Expected to be similar to 2018
- Presiding Judge will alternate monthly
- E-filing Updates
- Be prepared for some setbacks
- Not having a paper file will be problematic for Court
- Judge Bagley will not do e-signature
- January 1, 2019 – Mandatory E-filing
- There will be an ability to seal documents that are confidential
- Be prepared for some setbacks
- Judge Fowler
- Updates on Civil Calendar
- No Updates from Solicitor’s Office
- Court Calendar coming out by October 1, 2018 for 2019
- Announcements from the Bar
- Bar Association Cards in Clerks Office
- Get in Contact with an Attorney through the Clerks Office
- There is a link on Clerk’s Website to the Bar Association Website
- Bar Association Cards in Clerks Office
- Speakers Bob Hoyte and Chris York
- Workers Compensation – Presentation Attached to Minutes
- Timelines that are vital to secure workers compensation claims
- Refer out when needed to ensure client rights are protected
- Temporary Total Disability – cannot work at all
- 2/3 of weekly wage
- Temporary Partial Disability- can work but not full capacity
- Permanent Partial Disability- based on you injury not your job
- This relates to physical impairment as a whole
- State Board of Workers Compensation
- In order for attorney to be paid you have to show you gained a benefit- meaning the employer did not start paying voluntarily
- Lawyers are capped out at 25%
- These restraints on payouts will create a situation where injured cannot pay their household expenses (car payments, child support, mortgage) because the compensation is not enough
- Employers often do not want employees back without 100% release
- Board passed a rule that you cannot borrow money to be paid back out of workers compensation
- Doctors cannot bill on a lean against future expected workers compensation
- Problems In Accepted Claim
- Issue One: Get Panel from Employer to select doctor
- Does have the right to see a doctor of your choosing – often client does not know that they loose it by letting adjuster change the doctor
- Often the Employees rights are not explained regarding the panel
- Often wait for follow up and the call never calls
- An unrepresented injured worker cannot make their own appointments
- This is a way to make workers compensation cases go away
- Issue Two: Medical Delay Issues
- Issues Three: Injured Individual not getting the right amount
- Worker often never sees the forms that show the amount of check, when the check is expected to come
- When check is late you are entitled to a 15% adjustment on top of the check
- Business Incorporation need to also address workers compensation in their articles to ensure the business is protected
- Issue One: Get Panel from Employer to select doctor
- Superior Court