Denver Worker's Compensation Info: news

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

CA WCAB Extends Deadline For Submitting Written Comments To Modifications To Proposed Rules Until August 9

By WorkersCompensation.com 07/19/2013 09:33:00

San Francisco, CA (WorkersCompensation.com) - On July 9, 2013, the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) announced its intent to modify the text of proposed amendments to its Rules of Practice and Procedure (Rules) that had been the subject of a public hearing on April 16. The announcement stated that written comments regarding the proposed modifications would have to be received by the WCAB by 5 p.m. on July 25.

Following this announcement, some members of the workers’ compensation community requested the WCAB to extend the time for submitting written comments. The WCAB agrees that a limited extension of time is reasonable. Therefore, the WCAB will extend the time for submitting written comments by an additional 15 days to Friday, August 9 by 5 p.m. The WCAB will consider only comments it has received by that time.

As previously announced, the proposed modifications to the initially proposed Rules and related documents are posted on the WCAB’s website. The originally proposed new and amended Rules and related documents may also be found at this site.

Additionally, to facilitate further public comments, the WCAB is presently in the process of adding to its website all public comments it has received regarding the proposed Rules amendments. The documents to be posted will include the written comments the WCAB received on or before April 16, a transcript of the April 16, public hearing, and the written comments the WCAB has received in conjunction with the July 9 announcement. The posting of these written comments will be periodically updated until the August 9 closure of the written comment period.

The address for submission of comments by e-mail is WCABRules@dir.ca.gov. The address for submission of comments by mail is: Neil P. Sullivan, Assistant Secretary and Deputy Commissioner, Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, P.O. Box 429459, San Francisco, CA 94142-9459. The address for submission of comments by delivery service or personal delivery is: Neil P. Sullivan, Assistant Secretary and Deputy Commissioner, Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, Ninth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102.

The WCAB will consider all written comments regarding the proposed Rules modifications it receives by Friday, August 9 at 5 p.m. It encourages all interested members of the workers’ compensation community to participate in this important process.

Original Article Here

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Friday, July 12, 2013

Insurance Fraudster Proves Twitter Not Just For Smart People Anymore

By Robert Wilson 07/09/2013 17:19:00

60 year old Wanda Podgurski apparently thought she had it made. After claiming a fake injury in her home and collecting money from no less than seven insurance companies, she skipped town in the middle of her insurance fraud trial and headed for the hills. She vanished into that dark night, forfeiting $500,000 bail in the process. The fact that the judge in the trial sentenced her to 20 years in prison in absentia was almost moot. She was, as they say, “in the wind”. Histoire. Hasta la Bye Bye.

For five glorious months, she was free and clear, with authorities clueless to her whereabouts. Well, not entirely clueless. You see, our miscreant fraudster couldn’t resist taunting them with her Twitter account. While on the lamb, she sent no less than 10 tweets, including statements like “help find me before I con anyone else” and, my personal favorite, “Catch me if you can”.

Turns out they could. And they did; based on electronic Twitter bread crumbs that led them right to her. You see, Twitter has geo-tagging capabilities supported by many mobile devices using Location Services. If you don’t turn it off, it carries specific GPS info with every sweet tweet you complete.

What a dumbass.

On July 4^th, in what can only be considered an ironic “removal of Independence”, day for her, a Fugitive Task Force found her in a retirement resort in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, just south of San Diego, from whence she came. Turns out she didn’t go that far at all. She wasn’t in the wind so much as she was sitting around passing it, apparently. Her hot air cooled rather quickly I would presume.

She certainly was capable of more exotic locales. She is an experienced traveler – in fact that is one thing that tipped investigators to her fraudulent activities to begin with. The Los Angeles Times reported investigators discovered that she traveled to the Dominican Republic, New York, Seattle, Boston and other locations during the time she claimed to be completely disabled and in need of in home care. For all we know there is a Youtube video of her skydiving or bungee jumping during those trips. Certainly would be an action that fits in her wheelhouse. But, while we delight in the gloriousschadenfreude that Ms. Podgurski provides us, we recognize that this is the smaller part of this story.

Ultimately, this story is a huge boon for stupid people everywhere. Ms. Podgurski is a barrier breaker, shattering the myth that the Twittersphere is merely an electronic resort for the cranially gifted. No longer will Twitter be reserved for the uber intelligentsia; a restricted playground for those who have benefitted unfairly in the realm of intellectual distribution. No, it will now be a communication vehicle for the great unwashed, the ignorant masses of our time.

Get ready, Twitter. If you thought intellectually gifted persons could cram an elegantly entertaining tale into 140 character increments, you haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait till Bubba meets tweet street. It makes complete sense, when you think about it. Twitter is ideal for people who cannot spell or those who are incapable of using vowels when they write. Thank you, Wanda. This changes everything, indeed.

Original Story Here