Firm News

The Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents has announced the new State Average Weekly Wage, the Maximum Compensation Rate, and the Minimum Compensation Rate for injuries on or after October 1, 2018. The Maximum Compensation Rate is $1,383.41 for injuries on or after October 1, 2018. The Minimum Compensation Rate is $276.68 for injuries on or after October 1, 2018. With…

The New Hampshire Department of Labor has announced the updated maximum and minimum weekly compensation rates under  RSA 281-A: 28, which are effective July 1, 2018. The maximum weekly compensation rate will be one thousand five hundred eighty two dollars and fifty cents ($1,582.50), and in order for an injured employee to receive the maximum benefit, the employee must have an average weekly wage as…

In a much anticipated ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers may use arbitration agreements and class action waivers to preclude most employment-based claims by employees from reaching a courthouse. If these employment documents are drafted properly and presented to employees, companies cannot be hauled to court for most claims (they need to be arbitrated) and they cannot be…

A Little Background One of the hottest topics in Workers’ Compensation is the use of medical marijuana. Massachusetts is one of 29 states permitting medical marijuana. However, what makes this topic so complicated is that at the Federal level, marijuana remains a Schedule 1 substance under the Federal Controlled Substances Act. To add more complication, between 2009 and 2013, the…

Question: What is the #1 question NOT being asked when when conducting the initial employee interview on a new workers’ compensation claim in Massachusetts? Answer: Does the employee have a prior military service-related disability? If so, the insurer may be eligible for reimbursement of up to 50% of medical and indemnity payments made within the first 104 weeks of disability,…

We are pleased to welcome Edward "Ted" Sisk to our group Ted joined TKCK in January 2018. Prior to joining Tentindo, Kendall, Canniff & Keefe, Ted was a Litigation Associate at a well-established North Shore Law firm, focusing primarily on complex commercial and...

Millions are reimbursed to insurers every year from the Massachusetts Second Injury Fund. (M.G.L. c. 152 §§ 37 and 37A). Do not miss a chance to mitigate costs on some of the highest exposure workers’ compensation claims! The clock is ticking! The Second Injury Fund...

To determine the Adjusted Benefit for COLA payments, you multiply the Base Compensation rate (§§ 34A or 31) by the multiplier that corresponds to the date of injury. See § 34B(b). For instance, for dates of injury between 10/01/2000 and 09/30/2001, the multiplier is...

The State of Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission has announced the new State Average Weekly Wage, Maximum Comp Rates and COLA adjustments effective October 1, 2017. The maximum compensation rate for Total Disability and Decedents’ Dependents is $1,287.00 for...

The Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents has announced the new State Average Weekly Wage, the Maximum Compensation Rate, and the Minimum Compensation Rate for injuries on or after October 1, 2017. The Maximum Compensation Rate is $1,338.05 for injuries on...