Program Chair:
Joshua B. Czuta
AF Group
New Berlin
Presenters:
Tracy Aiello
Director, Bureau of Claims Management
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Madison
Susan V. Barranco
Hennessy & Roach, P.C.
Milwaukee
Kristin S. Bruess
Kasdorf, Lewis & Swietlik, S.C.
Milwaukee
Roland C. Cafaro
Cafaro Law Offices, S.C.
Milwaukee
David Crawford
Crawford Evaluation Group
Waukesha
Joseph P. Danas, Jr.
Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen, S.C.
Milwaukee
Charles F. Domer
Domer Law, S.C.
Milwaukee
Hamdy A. Ezalarab
Director, Office of Worker’s Compensation Hearings
Division of Hearings & Appeals
Madison
Robert J. Janssen
Janssen Law LLC
Green Bay
Aviva Meridian Kaiser
State Bar of Wisconsin
Madison
Cathy A. Lake
ALJ, Deputy Bureau Director – Legal Services
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Madison
Barbara K. Lemke, MS, CRC, LPC
Lemke Vocational Services, LLC
Waukesha
Jason R. Oldenburg
Injury and Disability Law Office of Wisconsin LLC
Glendale
Bruce R Schuyler, MS, CRC, LPC
Schuyler Vocational Consulting, Inc.
Milwaukee
Chelsie D. Springstead
Lindner & Marsack, S.C.
Milwaukee
Joshua M. Turim
Hickey & Turim, S.C.
Milwaukee
Karl A. VanDeHey
Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen, S.C.
Milwaukee
Scott E. Wade
von Briesen & Roper, S.C.
Waukesha
Sid Vong
Verisk Casualty Solutions
North Reading, MA
8:00 a.m. : Registration
8:30 a.m. : Case Law Update
- Settlements and Medicaid
- Analysis of medical causation
- Medical bills and bankruptcy
- Employment relationship and independent contractors
- Clarification of “misconduct” definition
- Permanent and total disability standards
- April 10, 2022 amendments to Ch 102 regarding average weekly wage and PPD
Joseph P. Danas, Jr.
9:20 a.m. : OWCH Update
- DHA-OWCH jurisdiction under the Act and HA 4
- Worker’s Compensation Division jurisdiction and timelines
- Status of an application for hearing upon the approval of compromise agreements
- OWCH plan to resolve the hearings backlog
Hamdy A. Ezalarab
10:05 a.m. : Break
10:20 a.m. : Pulling Back the Curtain on Independent Medical Examinations
- What makes an IME objective or subjective?
- Two examination approaches to IMEs
- Service associated with the medical expert – scheduling, medical record review, quality review
- Obtaining honest, reasonable and defensible opinions – regardless of the referral source
- Objectivity – medical experts who represent defense or applicants
Kristin S. Bruess, Roland C. Cafaro, David Crawford, Charles F. Domer
11:20 a.m. : What is CMS Saying Now? A Medicare Update
- Overview of Medicare Secondary Payer Act and Work Comp review thresholds
- Trends in ways to address Medicare's interests during settlement
- Factors to consider when considering Medicare's interests
- Updates to CMS reference guide
Chelsie D. Springstead, Sid Vong
12:10 p.m. : Lunch (on your own)
1:10 p.m. : DWD Update
- Worker’s compensation applications and caseload – An historical analysis
- Update on the portal
- Health cost dispute process – a brief overview
Tracy Aiello, Cathy Lake
1:55 p.m. : Why Vocational Experts Are Used in Worker’s Compensation Claims
- When to retain a vocational expert
- What a vocational expert needs to properly assess vocational matters
- Case studies and topics of discussion:
- Loss of earning capacity v. Odd Lot
- Youthful worker presumption
- Retirement and loss of earning capacity
- Loss of earning capacity for death claims
- When to retain a vocational expert
- What a vocational expert needs to properly assess vocational matters
- Case studies and topics of discussion:
- Loss of earning capacity v. Odd Lot
- Youthful worker presumption
- Retirement and loss of earning capacity
- Loss of earning capacity for death claims
Susan V. Barranco, Barbara K. Lemke, MS, CRC, LPC, Bruce Schuyler, Joshua M. Turim
2:45 p.m. : Break
3:00 p.m. : Ethical Predicaments and the Worker’s Compensation Attorney
- Disengaging and asserting a lien
- Proactive judges vs. the need to keep some information confidential prior to hearing
- Client communication in a high-volume practice
Robert J. Janssen, Aviva Meridian Kaiser, Jason R. Oldenburg, Karl D. VanDeHey, Scott E. Wade
4:00 p.m. : Program Concludes
Following program start times, webcast replay schedule may vary slightly from above listed times.
- Get up to speed on all the latest rulings in less than an hour with our annual case law update
- Hear updates from the Office of Worker’s Compensation Hearings (OWCH) and the Department of Workforce Development (DWD)
- Know what you need to have to get independent medical examinations and vocational assessments done right
- Overcome common real-world ethical quagmires with help from our popular ethics panel
- Worker’s compensation lawyers
- Labor and employment lawyers
- Insurance lawyers
- General practitioners
Book Sale – Save 20%
Worker’s Compensation Handbook
Save 20% on theWorker’s Compensation Handbook.* Plus, all seminar attendees receive a free two-week trial of the Books UnBound® version. It’s an essential resource for any attorney who represent employees or employers in worker’s comp cases—including corporate counsel and practitioners of employment, personal injury, and insurance law.
Use discount code CA3316 when you order online or by calling (800) 728-7788.
*Discount applies to both print and digital Books UnBound editions of this title and cannot be applied to previous purchases. Offer valid as long as CLE credit is available for this program. For Books UnBound users, discount may be applied to purchase of individual Books UnBound title only and may not be used on purchase of full library.