Change in WCJs Leads to Unpredictable Practice

Bret R. Goldstein, Chair of Reger Rizzo & Darnall's Employment Practices Group, authored an article for the April 2012 edition of The Legal Intelligencer's Workers' Compensation supplement, entitled Change in WCJs Leads to Unpredictable Practice.

The article discusses the regulations relating to Workers' Compensation Acts 44 and 57 which provide medical providers and employer/insurers the opportunity to appeal adverse administrative determinations of applications for fee review by the Health Care Services Division of the Bureau of Workers' Compensation to a fee review hearing officer. Seven workers' compensation judges were recently appointed to act as hearing officers. The bureau also issued a new form, entitled Request for Hearing to Contest Fee Review Determination (LIBC-606), in order to provide a process to appeal decisions of the bureau's health care services division to these newly minted hearing officers. This change in procedure is very significant for practitioners.

You can read the full article online here (PDF).