Arizona, thankfully, is not a “directed care” state. A “directed care” state allows ALL workers’ compensation insurance carriers to choose injured workers’ doctors. This leaves many injured workers in the hands of doctors who do not care about their wellbeing,…
We frequently receive questions about whether scarring is compensable in Arizona workers’ compensation law. The answer is yes if it’s facial scarring and it is considered “disfigurement.” See ARS 23-1044(b)(22). Under Arizona law, for a facial scar to be considered…
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is on a mission to beat childhood cancer and our firm is proud to be able to partner alongside them. On June 26, we will be hosting a fundraiser to raise donations for this charity and…
Normally, an employee who is injured while going to or from work is not entitled to workers’ compensation.[1] The rationale behind this rule is that employees do not actually begin work until they arrive on the employer’s premises. Any risk…
Social Security Disability benefits and Social Security retirement benefits are two separate programs. If you are suffering from a disability that is severe enough that you cannot perform your usual work, and you cannot perform alternative work, then you may be…
For Arizona workers’ compensation cases, injured workers can have their hearings set in the following place: Pheonix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu City/Kingman, and Yuma. At the initial hearing, the injured worker is typically the star witness. Depending on the issue,…
In Arizona, there are typically only three circumstances where the Social Security Administration will expedite a hearing: the claimant’s illness is terminal, the claimant is without food medicine or shelter, or the claimant is suicidal or homicidal. There have been…
When an injured worker appeals an inaccurate notice issued by an insurance carrier, they will be scheduled for a deposition to be taken by the insurance carrier’s attorney. The thought of being deposed by the insurance carrier’s attorney is usually a very…
In Arizona, a doctor must testify in a court of law that an injured workers’ medical condition is more probably than not related to his or her industrial injury. This is one of the lowest burden of proofs to meet…