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LONG COVID
A new report from the Mount Sinai Health System shows that unvaccinated patients with COVID-19 reported sleep, neurological and other symptoms that often lasted for more than a year. As a result, Mount Sinai has warned that the millions of Americans at risk of developing long COVID present a public health emergency. The most common […]
Read MoreREPETITIVE TRAUMA CLAIMS
Most workers recognize that an injury from a sudden event (like a trip and fall or lifting a heavy object) is an accident that can be covered by workers’ compensation. It’s important to know that injuries that are the result of repetitive trauma – tiny impacts that accumulate over time – can also be covered […]
Read MoreTHE HERO ACT: A LANDMARK FOR WORKER SAFETY AND HEALTH
The New York Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act was signed into law on May 5, 2021 and expanded to include COVID-19 on September 6, 2021. The law is intended to protect workers from exposure and illness caused by airborne infectious disease. Under the HERO Act, the New York State Department of Labor has developed […]
Read MoreNYCOSH: A RESOURCE FOR UNIONS AND WORKERS
One of the very best safety and health resources available to workers and unions is the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health. NYCOSH’s singular goal is to make workplaces safer for all. The organization provides education and trainings, conducts industrial hygiene assessments, and does policy and advocacy work to create safe and healthy […]
Read MoreTHE LATEST DATA ABOUT WORKERS COMP
The New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board is an association of insurance companies that collects data about the workers’ compensation system, files proposed insurance costs with the New York State Department of Financial Services, and publishes research and reports. Each year, the Rating Board issues a “State of the System” report with a wealth of […]
Read MoreGET THE MOST OUT OF SOCIAL SECURITY
There’s an old joke about the weather: everyone complains about it, but nobody does anything about it. Social Security is a little bit like that: almost everyone is covered by it, but almost no-one takes advantage of all of the tools it has to offer. Social Security includes three different income programs and one […]
Read MoreVIRTUAL HEARINGS FOR WORKERS COMP
In early 2018 – two years before the COVID-19 pandemic and before anyone had heard of Zoom – the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board launched a “virtual hearing” program that allowed judges, injured workers, and attorneys to appear remotely. This virtual hearing program allowed the Board to continue to hold hearings on a regular […]
Read MoreWORKERS COMP BENEFITS PAYABLE AFTER DEATH
When a worker is killed on the job, workers’ comp death benefits are often available to a surviving spouse, children, or other family members. The same is true when a workplace injury plays a role in a later death – even if it occurs months or years later. But what if a someone with a […]
Read MoreFATIGUE AND WORKPLACE INJURIES
Sleep is a key to good health, but most people don’t get enough of it. Not only is that bad for your general health, lack of sleep has also been linked to an increase in work-related injuries. A survey taken by the National Safety Council (NSC) and Brigham Health Sleep Matters Initiative showed that fatigue […]
Read MoreEMPLOYER WORKERS’ COMP COSTS DROP AGAIN
Workers’ comp is not a significant cost for most employers. In fact, three-quarters of New York’s employers pay less than $5,000 for their workers’ comp insurance, and 96% of New York’s employers pay less than $50,000 per year. Not only is workers’ comp insurance a low cost way to provide significant worker benefits, in recent […]
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