Workers' Comp for Beginners Workshop

The Colorado Department of Labor's Division of Workers' Compensation is hosting a series of workshops to provide basic workers’ compensation knowledge and basic fee schedule knowledge to the novice medical billing and AR staff, as well as, to the insurance bill reviewing communities.
The free, whole-day workshop is focused on the basics of understanding workers' compensation and the basics of how to derive the maximum Colorado medical fee schedule value for all types of medical bills.

"The program is designed to educate the novice workers’ compensation medical biller and coder, who either bills or collect payments or workers’ compensation payers, and third-party reviewers who will review workers compensation medical bills," the division announced this week.

The Colorado Workers’ Compensation 101 Workshop for the Beginner workshop is December 7 and January 13, 2010 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at 633 17th Street in Denver.

For more information, click here.

Website Updates Are Coming!

We're in the process of revamping our online presence and will soon have a new website, blog and more. Please stay tuned for the changes, and be sure to let us know what you think (as well as your ideas for areas of improvement).

State DWC Publishes Claim Stats

The Colorado Department of Labor, Division of Worker's Compensation has a variety of interesting WC-related statistics and other information on its website -- all related to the state's employment injury analysis.
Some key findings from the annual report include:

• Injuries to the lower back area and knee are 25% of the lost-time claims. Strains and sprains are almost 39% of lost-time claims filed. Motor Vehicle accidents are the cause of injury in 3.4% of the lost-time claims.
• From 1995 to 2004, Colorado’s average annual employment grew by 18.2%, yet the number of lost-time claims filed has dropped by 15.5%.
• The Mining sector employs only .7% of the Colorado workforce, yet has the highest rate of claims at 25.8 per 1,000 employ0ed. The NAICS sub-sector, Couriers and Messengers, has the highest rate of claims at 52.4 per 1,000 employed.
• Males file claims at a higher rate than females in every age group.
• Motor vehicle accidents are the cause of death in 31% of fatal claims, but only 3.4% of all lost-time claims.

For more information, from the Colorado DWC, visit www.coworkforce.com/dwc.

SSDI Question of the Day

How does a Social Security attorney get paid, and am I going to lose money by working with one to get benefits?

Attorney’s fees for SSDI clients are on a contingency basis—meaning that attorneys only receive payment if your claim is successful. When your benefits are approved, the attorney receives ¼ of back benefits (not to exceed a total of $6,000). If the claim is denied, there is no fee.

SSA FYI: Current Law Doesn't Provide Cost of Living Adjustment for SS Benefits

Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for more than 57 million Americans will not automatically increase in 2010, as the current law doesn't provide for a cost of living adjustment (COLA). According to an SSA press release, this will be the first year without an automatic COLA since they went into effect in 1975.

“Social Security is doing its job helping Americans maintain their standard of living,” Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security said. “Last year when consumer prices spiked, largely as a result of higher gas prices, beneficiaries received a 5.8 percent COLA, the largest increase since 1982. This year, in light of the human need, we need to support President Obama’s call for us to make another $250 recovery payment for 57 million Americans.”

The Social Security Act provides that Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits increase automatically each year if there is an increase in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of the last year to the third quarter of the current year. This year there was no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008 to the third quarter of 2009. In addition, because there was no increase in the CPI-W this year, under the law the starting point for determinations regarding a possible 2011 COLA will remain the third quarter of 2008.

For more information, click here.

SSDI Question of the Day

How does Social Security define disability?

There are strict requirements under the SSA to qualify as disabled. Adults can received benefits if they have a physical and/or mental disability severe enough to keep the beneficiary from working for 12 months. Disabilities that are expected to result in death are also included. Short-term or partial disability benefits are NOT paid through Social Security.

Do you have a question about social security disability issues here in Colorado? Call me today.

Five Critical Questions Asked By SSA:

The decision regarding your disability application is a five-step process, with SSA requiring specific answers to these critical questions:

Are you working?
There is a ceiling for average monthly earnings for those applying for Social Security, and SSA will generally deny your disability if you make more than that amount. If you are not working, or your earnings are below what the SSA considers “substantial gainful activity,” then DDS proceeds to its investigation of your medical condition.

Is your disability considered “severe”? Does it limit your ability to work for at least one year?
Since Social Security does not provide temporary disability benefits, a minimum threshold of one year is required to qualify for benefits. Moreover, disabilities not deemed “severe” will not be considered by DDS.

Does your medical condition appear in the official Listing of Impairments?
Applicants with conditions such as terminal cancer, quad or paraplegia, and those awaiting a heart transplant can find their conditions on the LOI. Conditions on the list are obvious disabilities that automatically mean that you are disabled as defined by law.
While the list includes a variety of severe impairments to various parts of the body, if your condition is not listed, DDS will evaluate your condition and may then decide you are disabled.

If they do not, DDS will then proceed to the next question: Can you continue to work in your present field?
If you are able to work, they will decide you are not disabled. However, if the conditions prevent you from doing that kind of work, they move on to the next question.

Can you do any other kind of work?
Based on your medical condition, age, education, past work experience and other skills, DDS will make a determination on your ability to do other work, and thus your overall disability. If you can do other work, you are not disabled…if you can not, they will decide that you are indeed disabled.

SSDI Question of the Day

Can credit card companies and other creditors (auto loan companies, etc.) garnish my Social Security benefits?

According to the Social Security Administration, only the federal government can garnish SS benefits. "Section 207 bars garnishment of your benefits. It can also be used as a defense in your benefits are incorrectly garnished...once paid, benefits continu to be protected under Section 207 as long as they are indentifiable as Social Security benefits."

Do you have a question about social security disability issues here in Colorado? Call me today.

NOSSCR Posts Comprehensive SSDI FAQ

The National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR) has published a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions regarding the Social Security Disability process. From basic definitions to detailed information about how Social Security benefits affect Medicare and Medicaid benefits, the informational resource is a must-stop if you're looking SSDI information on the web.
Find it here!

Colorado SSA Is Working to Reduce Its Backlog

The Social Security Administration has released its quarterly report on the disability hearings backlog, and while the local office continues to make headway in reducing the overall backlog for the state, there is still a long way to go.
The Colorado Hearing Offices have hired more staff, and are in the midst of testing a new standardized electronic business process at two hearing offices that it expects will make significant inroads into reducing the backlog.
According to the offices, at the beginning of FY 2009, "we identified all Colorado cases that would be 850 days old or more by the end of the fiscal year. Through June, we processed 1,652, or 91 percent of these cases."
For more information from the report, click here (PDF link).