Under the North Carolina Industrial Commission Rules, Nurse Case Managers are considered rehabilitation professionals as they manage medical cases and coordinate rehabilitation services. 11 NCAC 23C .0103(1). In performing their duties, Nurse Case Managers must be neutral, providing “unbiased, objective opinions.” 11 NCAC 23C .0106(d). Further, Nurse Case Managers shall “provide copies of all correspondence […]
In several recent articles, we discussed the potential impact of AB5 (now referred to as California Labor Code § 2775). The law went into effect on January 1, 2020, addressing the classification of workers as employees or independent contractors. Several lawsuits were filed challenging AB5. In one the California Trucking Association filed a lawsuit contending […]
On 11/12/21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit threw out portions of the 2016 Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles – Phase 2 (“Phase 2”) as it relates to trailers, tanks, car carriers, logging trailers, and platforms. The Rule, which was set to take […]
November 4, 2021. Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP received several top rankings in the U.S. News – Best Lawyers® 2022 “Best Law Firms” report. The firm received Tier 1 regional rankings, the highest category awarded, in eight categories. The full firm report is as follows: Metropolitan Tier 1 Charlotte: Insurance Law Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants […]
North Carolina – August 19, 2021. Hedrick Gardner is pleased to announce that 20 attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2022. Jeffrey H. Blackwell was named the Best Lawyers® 2022 Wilmington Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year. ” Best Lawyers named a single attorney in each […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an updated Section 111 NGHP User Guide – Version 6.4, on June 11, 2021. CMS will now allow the termination of ORM if the following criteria are met. Where there is no practical likelihood of associated future medical treatment, which is reflected by meeting ALL of the following: […]
Before June 24, 2011, injured employees were eligible for lifetime Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits for the duration of their disability. In 2011, the North Carolina legislature passed revisions to the Workers’ Compensation Act. One of the revisions altered N.C. Gen. Stat. § 97-29(b), which now states: The employee shall not be entitled to compensation […]
On 2/3/2021, Pete Buttigieg was sworn in as the 19th Secretary of Transportation. On 1/20/2021, President Biden issued an executive order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis. On 4/22/2021, in response to PresidentBiden’s executive Order, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposedwithdrawing the SAFE I […]
The North Carolina Industrial Commission today, Monday, March 1, 2021, sent out the following notice: “Effective March 1, 2021, all carriers, third-party administrators, and self-insured employers are required to provide the Commission with an email address for receipt of claim-related documents. The designated email address shall be provided to the Commission at contactinfo@ic.nc.gov. The email […]
In our last article, we discussed the status and potential impact of AB5, a law recently passed in California which went into effect on January 1, 2020, addressing the classification of certain workers. By way of review, prior to AB5’s passage, the decision on whether a worker should be classified as an employee or an […]
