Resolution of your Workers’ Compensation Case

At the present time, the resolution of a New York State Workers’ Compensation case usually means either settlement by way of a Workers’ Compensation Section 32 Settlement or Walk in Stipulation Calendar action, (WISC). This means, to the everyday worker, after all the dust settles and you no longer require continued immediate care you can consider settlement options. If the settlement is to be a full and final resolution of your rights you would use the Section 32 avenue. In some instances continued medical care can be negotiated with some accommodation by way of a reduction in the indemnity benefit for the settlement. In some cases, annuities can be used or grafted to the settlement which can be adjusted to the indemnity portion of the case. This requires detailed negotiations and review of any Medicare conflicts and rights. The time table for such a resolution as stated by the agency presently reviewing Medicare’s rights for CMS approval and Medicare’s protection is now more than 270 calendar days post settlement negotiations for old cases and approximately 90 days or less for recent settlements. A short partial resolution of your case can also be accomplished by a WISC settlement upon agreement of the parties and formalization by the law judge on your case. This process usually takes two weeks from date the agreement is signed to a hearing date and another two weeks post hearing,  for publishing and payment of the award. Settlements while in theory can be on any aspect of the Workers’ Compensation case, they are usually not used until immediate care has ended. As stated earlier in prior blog  postings, this blog is to be considered for educational and informative purposes only. See my disclaimer throughout these blogs for proper use of an attorney for your personal case.