Have All The Right Information Before Changing Your TPA
Rash decisions in the business world can be a significant expense. Not only can it be an expensive decision when changing out an insurer or third-party administrator (TPA), but it can lead to questions from both employees and clients. So, how do you best go about building a firm, long-term relationship between your business and your present claims administrator? The simple way to go about that is by: Hiring a competent TPA to begin with Making sure all necessary information is provided to the TPA when asked for Asking questions of your TPA and keeping an open line of communication In order to best decrease your workers compensation expenses, make sure you put together a formidable relationship from day one. As an example, a risk …
Costs Orders Post Jackson Reforms
You know that Qualified One Way Costs rule thingymajig? The one that says, don’t worry claimant, you won’t now have to pay costs if you lose? Well it’s rubbish. We are now receiving costs orders all over the place on claims which should be subject to QOCS protection. Why? Well the courts appear to be easily persuaded that there are exceptional circumstances or that applications have involved hours upon hours of work by the defendant solicitors. Our policies are paying out costs quite regularly even though everyone thought this would be just occuring on the odd occasion. Some of them are pretty hefty bills. We have even had a full costs order from the court despite the Judge being aware that QOCS applies. This …
States where car insurance is cheapest – MarketWatch
MarketWatchStates where car insurance is cheapestMarketWatchThe state's car insurance rates are 136{9c067c25ed205f086ce6001901eb13dfadc688a7aefab9f64e0c55b8c5a55872} higher than the national average. 136{9c067c25ed205f086ce6001901eb13dfadc688a7aefab9f64e0c55b8c5a55872}! Sure, most of that is due to buff book journalists pretending to be hot shoes, but there has to be something else going on. At the opposite end, North Carolina's insurance …
Garda IT system suspended over insurance errors – Irish Independent
Irish IndependentGarda IT system suspended over insurance errorsIrish IndependentA handwritten note, which was recorded by a senior official in the Department of Transport, appears to blame motor insurance companies for failing to update the database properly. It said that there was an issue "with insurance companies not notify …Gardaí drop vehicle insurance database after errorsIrish Examinerall 5 news articles »
Laya undercuts rivals with new corporate health insurance plan – Irish Independent
Irish IndependentLaya undercuts rivals with new corporate health insurance planIrish IndependentRival health insurers will be forced to respond to the move, according to a leading health insurance expert. It comes after State-owned VHI finally got provisional approval from the Central Bank to go out into the market and raise its own funds …
No ATE = Lower Solicitor Fees
I’m doing a bit of algebra today. It is now accepted practice that solicitors up and down the country are charging clients 25{9c067c25ed205f086ce6001901eb13dfadc688a7aefab9f64e0c55b8c5a55872} or thereabouts of their damages as a success fee if they win their case. Since April 2013, it has also been the norm for defendant insurers to fire off Part 36 offers left, right and centre in order to sidestep Qualified One Way Costs Shifting (QOWCS). Nothing new there then. Well there is. You see, prior to the Jackson reforms, solicitors got their success fees from the defendant and they were of course calculated by reference to costs and risk. Now however, the fees come from the client so it is very relevant how much compensation they get. The more they get, the more money …
Antonio Caliendo and Barnaby Holdings LLC v Mishcon de Reya (2014)
We all remember the mad “pre-Jackson” rush in February and March 2013. Everyone was desperately trying to buy ATE insurance before 1 April 2013 to cover their older cases, and at the same time finalise CFAs on all their latest cases. It was a short period of pandemonium and it was perhaps almost inevitable that there were going to be a few cases where the defendant was not notified of these “additional liabilities” (the premium and the success fee) within the necessary seven days/when the defendant was first contacted. As costs on this era of cases are now beginning to be recovered, these occasional lapses are beginning to surface, but there has been a very helpful ruling which it is worth letting you know about below. We hope…
Pricewatch: The pros and cons of travel insurance – Irish Times
Irish TimesPricewatch: The pros and cons of travel insuranceIrish TimesA reader contacted us last week to give out about travel insurance. He and his wife took a policy out through their credit union and had the misfortune to be burgled while away. They lost €10,000 worth of stuff, including laptops, iPhones, jewellery …
Massachusetts to Receive $3M to Help Laid-Off Workers
The funding has been awarded to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
Employees of Steel and Pipe Manufacturer Faced Laceration, Crushing Hazards
Pacemaker Steel & Piping Co. Inc. faces $45,500 in penalties as a result, according to OSHA.
Rise in Court Fees to Scupper Access to Justice?
As they say, the Jury is out. The Government has announced that the huge hike in Court Fees, some by as much as 600{9c067c25ed205f086ce6001901eb13dfadc688a7aefab9f64e0c55b8c5a55872}, is due to take affect on Monday 9th March. Cue massive rush to issue everything beforehand of course but then what? Justice minister Shailesh Vara was kind enough to declare in the House of Commons that it was ‘reasonable’ to suggest that the fee increase will not have any major negative effect and that there was ‘little risk’ that they would cut demand for or indeed damage legal services. Well that’s alright then. Phew! Oh hang on a second. Didn’t they do something similar with Employment Tribunal application fees recently? I wonder if those fees had any impact on claims. …
Lack of Protective Equipment Results in 1st and 3rd Degree Burns
A Republic Steel plant electrician received burns after an arc flash.