When a potential client calls with a question regarding getting medical treatment for a work injury, a staff member must be capable of both providing accurate information and in convincing the caller that professional legal services are needed. To do this, all staff involved in the workers' compensation process must be trained on the new rules and policies and procedures of Senate Bill 899.
Penalties for Noncompliance
In order to limit corruption and profiting from the system, Senate Bill 899 has included strict compliance regulations and stiff penalties for noncompliance. Thus, staff training becomes even more important. Training a legal assistant or associate attorney in compliance and giving them the job of compliance assurance will be beneficial as the Department of Workers' Compensation and its various agencies regularly issue new rulings that effect compliance. In order to reduce the risk of being penalized under the new policies and procedures, all workers' compensation practitioners must place great importance on the role of compliance assurance.
Conclusion
As can be seen from the aforementioned information and overview, Senate Bill 899 has had a significant effect on the practice of workers' compensation in the State of California. Although its provisions are benefiting the injured worker in terms of efficiency, it has significantly reduced the amount of work available for the claimant's lawyer. Further, it has created a new system of administrative regulation and procedures for the practitioner and his or her office to learn and comply with.
Bibliography
California Division of Workers' Compensation. (2005): "Workers' Compensation Reforms Under Senate Bill 899: First Annual Report of Progress. www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/SB899/SB899Review2005.pdf.
Nuckols, Teryl K. And Barbara O. Wynn. (2005): Evaluating Medical Treatment Guideline Sets for Injured workers in California. RAND Corporation.
Pace, Nicholas, Galway, Lionel and Robert Reville. (2003): Improving Dispute Resolution for California's Injured Workers. RAND Corporation.
Peterson, Mark a., Berth, Peter S., Reville, Robert T. And Rachel K. Stern. (2005): Compensating Permanent WorkPlace Injuries: A Study of the California System. RAND Corporation.
Senate of California. (2004): "Senate Bill 899. www.info.sen.gov./pub/03-04/bill/sen/sb_0851-0900/sb_899_bill_20040419_chaptered.html
State of California. (2007): "DWC Recently Enacted Workers' Compensation Reforms." Division of Workers' Compensation.
A www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/wcreformindex.html
Sullivan, Michael W. (2005): California Workers' Compensation and the Impact of…
