- What’s New in NC Workers’ Compensation
- Chair Young of the NC Industrial Commission appointed long-time Deputy
Commissioner Wanda Blanche Taylor as Chief Deputy Commissioner in February
2009. We congratulate Chief Deputy Commissioner Taylor on her new position.
- The new Medical Motions Procedures continue to work well at the
Industrial Commission, in many cases speeding the delivery of needed medical
treatment to injured workers. See the following link for more information:
www.ic.nc.gov/ncic/pages/newforms.htm#MedicalMotions.
- The maximum compensation rate for 2010 has been set at $834.00.
- A warm welcome to our newest member of the Full Industrial Commission, Commissioner Staci Meyer.
- What’s New in Social Security Law
- We welcome two new ALJs Lisa Hall and Michelle Cavadi to Raleigh ODAR.
- The Social Security Administration anticipates opening a fully functional hearing office in Fayetteville, NC in 2010!
- Mr. Camak had a claim heard in the Greensboro Hearing Office last week,
with he and his client in Greensboro, while the ALJ and VE attended in real
time by video-link from Savannah, Georgia. We have also received several
favorable decisions from Senior Attorneys prior to hearing. These are
obvious efforts on the part of the SSA to reduce the backlog of unheard
cases.
- According the SSA, in 2009, nearly 51 million Americans will receive
$650 billion in Social Security benefits.
- For 2010, “substantial gainful activity” (ie. work) will be assumed with wages earned in excess of $1,000.00 per month for non-blind workers, $1,640.00 for blind workers.
- The SSA has recently announced the opening of their multi-lingual gateway of information to the Social Security system. SSA boasts key Social Security publications can be found in 16 different languages.
- Regarding the nationwide backlog of cases, the SSA Office of Adjudication and Review published the “Plan to Eliminate the Hearing Backlog and Prevent Its Recurrence, End of Year Report, Fiscal Year 2007,". In addition, a recent meeting of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, was called together on April 23, 2008. SSA Commissioner Astrue noted the following improvement strategies to the committee: increased SSA funding, a National Hearings Center, improved technology, compassionate allowance programs, additional quick determination units, senior attorney programs, and the hiring of additional ALJ’s.
- SSA encourages all participants to use the online “iappeal” process, as well as the Electronic Records Express program for sending in case specific evidence.
- Firm News
- Neal Camak and Michael Bertics will be submitting a legal article for the fall issue of
North Carolina Central Law Review concerning NC workers’ compensation law.
- Neal Camak is participating again this year in the Wake County Bar Association’s “Lunch with a Lawyer” program. Designed to allow school students the opportunity to learn about the practice of law “in the real world”, the program continues to be a success with both lawyer and student participants.
- Lennon & Camak, PLLC, was asked to teach the Meredith Paralegal
Workers’ Compensation course. Classes have already begun and we look
forward to continuing this relationship with Meredith College into the
future.
- Both Mr. Lennon and Mr. Camak were again asked to present on the
topics of Law Practice Management and NC Workers’ Compensation Law at
this year’s NC Bar Association Practical Skills continuing education
course in September. Go to
www.ncbar.org for
registration and / or further information.
- Mr. Camak is serving on the Harris Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association’s General Practice, Small Firm and Solo section. This committee is dedicated to helping small firm lawyers and staff smoothly transition following the death or disablement of a lawyer.
- Mr. Camak is also serving as SLORM (Small Law Office Resource Manual) Deskbook Liaison Chair in the North Carolina Bar Association’s Law Practice Management Section.
- Mr. Camak’s article “Is My Workers’ Compensation Client Also Eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits? Practical Considerations for Counsel”, focusing on the interplay between NC workers’ compensation law and Social Security disability law, was recently published in the June 2008 edition of
Trial Briefs magazine, the official publication of the NC Advocates for Justice.
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