Workers Comp Zone

A Partner at Boxer & Gerson LLP, Julius Young has practiced worker’s compensation law and social security disability law since 1979. He has represented thousands of individuals who have sustained life-changing injuries or illnesses while on the job. In every case, his goal is to secure the medical treatments his clients need.

November 10, 2011

PROOF IN THE PUDDING

The State Compensation Insurance Fund announced this week that it expects a 1% average decrease in its workers’ comp premiums. According to a SCIF statement, although some accounts will see a rate hike and although SCIF will adopt some “rate relativity” adjustments, overall employer policyholders will see a slight decrease in workers’ comp premiums. That’s […]


November 7, 2011

WHO TO BELIEVE?

Are California workers’ comp benchmark rates stable or even decreasing? Or does the new methodology suggested by former Insurance Commissioner Poizner and used by current Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones actually mask a significant rate increase? This is a story that has received lots of attention in the workers’ compensation press, particularly in the Workers Comp […]


November 6, 2011

AVOIDING THE LANDSLIDE OF REOPENINGS

Seeking to plug the dike to prevent a deluge of litigation, the WCAB has issued another en banc in the Messele case. Let’s call it Messele Dos. After the recent Messele Uno case, the workers’ comp community has been rife with commentary about whether prior panel QME appointments might have been procedurally invalid and subject […]


November 4, 2011

PENSION REFORM IN THE COMP REFORM MODEL?

The issue of pension reform in California is heating up. In various municipalities, efforts are underway to change how public employee pensions are funded. For example, in San Francisco voters are being asked to decide between several plans. Governor Brown has unveiled his plan, which is summarized in this piece in the Sacramento Bee, “Jerry […]


November 3, 2011

MESSELE

It may not turn out to be that big of a deal. But recently there has been a lot of commentary in the comp community on the effects of the recent WCAB Messele en banc decision, known as Tsegay Messele v. Pitco Foods:http://www.dir.ca.gov/wcab/EnBancdecisi … Tsegay.pdf Non-lawyers will find the decision to be of the “how […]


October 31, 2011

SOCIAL JUSTICE INDEX

Outside my office, the Occupy Oakland tent city is back. Efforts to forcibly evict protesters from Frank Ogawa Plaza created a public relations debacle for Oakland’s mayor and police when a protesting Iraq vet was tear gassed and critically injured by some sort of projectile from police. As I noted in a post last week, […]


October 27, 2011

SUPREMES DECLINE TO HEAR OGILVIE

The California Supreme Court has now rebuffed the City and County of San Francisco’s bid to overturn the Ogilvie case. In a move widely anticipated, the Supreme Court refused to grant review. With S.F. City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s mayoral campaign stumbling and Herrera’s complex litigation deputy attorney Danny Chou’s efforts in Ogilvie being rebuffed, it […]