ue

AOE/COE and other Threshold Issues

This training will examine the basic tenets of workers’ compensation law every claims specialist should master. All material will focus on four main subject areas: (1) Identifying the Industrial Injury;…




ue

For What It's Worth: How to Rate and Value Your Case

This half-day rating event promises comprehensive presentations by the experts. Tune your skills as the experts debate the most pertinent disability rating issues.




ue

Illinois Top 10 Issues and Recent Appellate Cases

Illinois Worker’s Compensation 2016 – The Top 10 issues and the Top 10 recent Appellate cases! Is the future bright for Illinois Employers?…




ue

Uninsured Employers and the UEBTF

This comprehensive program will cover all aspects of workers' compensation claims against uninsured employers from attorneys who represent injured workers, uninsured employers and the Uninsured Employers Benefits Trust Fund as…




ue

Litigation Strategies for Developing the Issue of Accurate PD: Theory, Evidence, Negotiation and Trial

Litigation Strategies for Developing the Issue of Accurate PD: Theory, Evidence, Negotiation and Trial. Understand how to Litigate a Workers’ Comp Case, when the primary issue is Permanent Disability. This…




ue

Work Comp Matters - Episode 110: The Mueller Report

During this edition of Work Comp Matters, Steve, Mike and Robert talk about the Mueller report, the investigative report on Christine Baker at the Department of industrial Relations, the investigative…




ue

Work Comp Matters - Episode 120: Quest Diagnostics

This week on Work Comp Matters, Steve and the guys talk about the Quest Diagnostic data breach that affects almost 12,000,000 people. Additionally, the guys report on the Work Comp…




ue

Worker Failed to Prove Injuries from Alleged Assault by Colleague

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was not entitled to benefits for injuries from an alleged assault by a coworker. Case: Matter of Lebeau v. Meet Caregivers Inc.,…




ue

Court Upholds Closure of Worker's Claim, Denial of Request to Add Conditions, for More Treatment

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the closure of a worker’s claim, the denial of his requests for additional treatment and the denial of his request to expand the…




ue

PCRB Posts Reminder of Deadline to Request 2009 Assessment Refund

The Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau announced that eligible carriers can request refunds of 2009 work comp security fund assessments through Feb. 24. Gov. Josh Shapiro in July signed HB 2310, a…




ue

Court Upholds Denial of Worker's Request to Reopen Claim, Receive Additional Treatment

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled that a worker was not entitled to reopen his claim or to receive additional benefits even though he received treatments and expanded the…




ue

Worker Loses Appeal Due to His Failure to Provide Record of Prior Proceedings

A Texas appellate court upheld the denial of a self-represented worker’s claim due to his failure to ensure there was a record of the administrative proceedings that resulted in the…




ue

Supreme Court Upholds Denial of Worker's Request for Additional PPD

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of a worker’s request for additional permanent partial disability benefits for her broken leg. Case: Gajdos v. Appalachian Electronic Instruments Inc., No. 23-720,…




ue

Legal Specialization Test Prep - Practice and Procedure / Medical Issues

Hon. Clint Feddersen designed this course to prepare experienced workers' compensation attorneys to become California Certified Legal Specialists in Workers' Compensation Law.




ue

PEO's: Professional Employer Organizations = A Shell Game? and Prosecution & Defense of UE Cases

This is a four-hour MCLE program that addresses the specific issues of the prosecution and defense of cases involving employee leasing companies, general-special employment law, and handling cases when the…




ue

2024 Regulatory and Issues Forecast

This discussion, presented by HIRMA, will cover regulations and risk management issues impacting attendees organizations in 2024.




ue

Supreme Court Issues Writ Directing Dismissal of Contract, Bad-Faith Claims Against Carrier

The Alabama Supreme Court issued a writ of mandamus compelling a trial court to dismiss the breach-of-contract and bad-faith claims against an insurance carrier arising out of a roofing worker’s…




ue

No Additional Benefits for Worker's Knee Issues, Psychological Conditions

The North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld a finding that an injured airline employee was not entitled to additional benefits for his knee issues or mental health conditions. Case: Pierson v.




ue

Split Court Rejects Magistrate's Recommendation, Issues Writ Vacating Denial of PTD Award

A divided Ohio appellate court rejected the recommendation of a magistrate and issued a writ of mandate compelling the Industrial Commission to overturn its denial of an injured worker’s claim…




ue

Split Court Issues Writ for Worker to Receive VSSR Award for Trench Accident

An Ohio appellate court ruled that a worker should have been granted an enhanced award of benefits for his employer’s violation of a specific safety requirement for shoring trenches. Curtis Berry…




ue

Worker Who Received VSSR Award Can't Pursue Intentional Tort Claim

An Ohio appellate court upheld the dismissal of a worker’s intentional tort claim against his employer for injuries from an unguarded table saw. Multi-Cast Corp. defaulted on its obligations to its…




ue

Court Upholds Denial of Worker's Request to Reopen Car Accident Claim

The Arizona Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s request to reopen his claim arising out of a car accident. Case: Parr v. Industrial Commission, No. 1 CA-IC 23-0018,…




ue

Worker's Request for Hearing Dismissed as Untimely

The Arizona Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s request for a hearing as untimely despite his claim that he had never received notice that his employer’s insurance carrier…




ue

ALJ Abuses Discretion in Denying Worker's Request for Relief

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that an administrative law judge committed an abuse of discretion in denying a worker’s request for relief from the dismissal of her hearing due…




ue

Missed Deadlines, Lack of Discovery Wreck Worker's Request for Hearing

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that a worker’s request for hearing was properly dismissed, given her failure to adhere to deadlines and failure to participate in discovery and a…




ue

Court Upholds Award for Carpal Tunnel, Denies Employer's Request to Take Offset

A Louisiana appellate court upheld an award of benefits for a worker with carpal tunnel syndrome and ruled that his employer was not entitled to an offset against its liability. Case: Caldwell…




ue

Res Judicata Does Not Bar Worker's Intentional Tort Claim Against Colleague

A Louisiana appellate court ruled that res judicata did not bar a school district employee’s intentional tort claim against a colleague even though she received a workers’ compensation settlement for her…




ue

Supreme Court Says Injured Worker Using False Identity Can't Pursue 3rd Party Tort Claim

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that an injured worker lost his ability to pursue a civil suit he had filed under a false name and an illegally obtained identity. Rafael Antonio…




ue

High Court Questions Viability of Defense Based on Worker's Failure to Disclose Prior Injury

The South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a finding that a worker was entitled to benefits for a back injury, but it questioned the continued viability of its case law allowing…




ue

Supreme Court Reissues Decision Questioning Its Own Precedent

The South Carolina Supreme Court reissued its decision upholding an injured worker’s award but questioned the continued viability of its case law allowing an employer to base its defense on a…




ue

Court Upholds Denial of Worker's Request to Modify Award

The Kansas Court of Appeals upheld a decision of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board denying a government employee’s request for a modification of her award. Case: Jackson v. Johnson County, No.




ue

La nueva guía explica en detalle cómo manejar el riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares (ECV) antes, durante y después de una cirugía no cardíaca

Aspectos destacados de la guía: La guía conjunta de la American Heart Association (la Asociación Americana del Corazón) y el American College of Cardiology, que aborda el tratamiento y la evaluación cardiovascular de los pacientes antes, durante y...




ue

Nuevo sitio web en español para la prevención de ataques o derrames cerebrales busca eliminar barreras a la equidad en la salud

DALLAS, 9 de septiembre de 2024 — Si bien el derrame cerebral es la quinta causa principal de muerte en los Estados Unidos, afecta desproporcionadamente a los hispanos. Es la tercera principal causa de muerte entre las mujeres hispanas y la cuarta ...




ue

Using the Camera GPS to find the Sunken Church In San Miguel


I've now been in San Miguel de Allende for almost 6 weeks, about half way through our winter stay here. I have been enjoying all flavours and experiences that this city has to offer. I've even experienced some of the standard tourist events such as fighting with the Aztec gods (Montezuma of course). This laid me low for a few days but unfortunately after a few days when I thought I was getting better I developed a secondary infection that required visiting the doctor and getting medication. Now after 2 weeks I'm finally starting to get the spring back in my step and venturing back out. This does curtail your photography.


But back to the GPS item. Several weeks ago my friend Mike took me out to see the sunken church on the large shallow lake south-east of San Miguel.  The lake is really a reservoir and during the dry season, winter here, the church becomes fully visible.  The ground is still too mucky to be able to walk all the way out, but you can get close enough for some good shots.


If you look closely you can see some cacti growing out of the top portion of the church spire and therefore the church is not completely sunken.

What was really surprising when we first arrived was that we saw pelicans, which to many may not be unusual near water but this is at an elevation of 6,000ft and and 550 km from the nearest ocean.


I've been using on-camera GPS for almost 3 years, at least capturing the meta data with the image but I've never had to really use the info as until now I've always known exactly where I was. Not this time as this was new territory, so when I tried to use the Nikon format to enter into Google maps it took a while to find a site that would convert correctly.

Nikon gives a format such as:
Longitude:  20,52.1567N
Latitude:     100,50.1574W
Altitude:     1853m

Nikon is not DDD, MMM, SSS (Degrees, Minutes , Seconds but in format of DDD, MMM.MMMM)

Whereas Google maps required decimal degrees only in format DDD.DDDDD.

After some web searching I did find one site that would provide conversion in the Nikon format.

Nikon GPS Converter

In the Google map below the green arrow shows where I took the photo of the church above and the red arrow the top of church spire above the water.  This Google map (satellite view) was taken when the area was flooded. It is a bit strange to see that where you were standing is now underwater. A little north east of red arrow is a round ring. This is visible in the last photo of this article.


Towards the hill on the south-east in the map above is another church, not sunken but still abandoned.

Most of the foliage,except for the cacti at this time of year, is brown. This make a colour image rather drab. But converting to B&W and adding some contrast can make the photo stand out more.

In the image below the green cacti with a blue sky does make a colour version work better.


Below is the map and the green arrow shows where I was standing taking the photo above with the cacti.


As you can see the camera GPS is very accurate in capturing within feet where you where standing at the time when photograph is taken.
Another version of the sunken church where you can see the round ring that shows up beside the spire in the Google water map.

  Church with ring structure

Niels Henriksen




ue

An Explosion of Colors at the El Señor de la Conquista Festival in San Miguel de Allende

The one thing I enjoy most about San Miguel de Allende is that you'er busy. I'm taking photographs everyday, meeting old and new friends and enjoying lots of events. There are many artist shows opening every week and then there's the special film showing and theater plays. The downside, at least for my blog readers, is the problem with actually getting down and writing a new article.


I was working on a theme and then on Friday the 2nd of March there was the 'El Señor de la Conquista' Festival in San Miguel de Allende in and around the center square called 'el Jardin'.


There were 5 different groups from local towns nearby each with their own style of dress and costumes. Withh such a display of colors and action it was not hard to keep photographing as they almost performed continuously for 10 hours. There was a small break in the afternoon as they started around 10:00am and continued until 9:00pm.



Even the people resting provided good photographic opportunities.



It's easy to see from the next photo how much these dancers enjoyed and were engrossed with their performances.



During breaks they laid their headdress on the ground.



The music playing and drums resonated over the whole town all day long and if you wanted a quiet spot you almost had to head out of town.


Great costumes and action.


Even fathers and sons participated.

San Miguel is first an historic town with stunning architecture but the festivals which almost happen every weekend during some months add that extra spice and color to your stay here.

Niels Henriksen




ue

Festivals in San Miguel de Allende


It seems like there is always some sort of festival going on in San Miguel. In fact, there really is. Most of these are tied to religious or Mexican national events, but at times there also those unexpected festivals. When they involve children they can make for extra special photographic events. And who doesn’t love the smiles and special faces that children can make. Add a few costumes and now there is magic in the air.



Last year and again this year there was the multicultural school event with kids coming from many districts. I wasn't paying special attention to the date as I didn’t even know it was happening again. I only came by the festival when I was heading by the Jardin. Which is a daily ritual for me in my treks around town. I didn't notice the festival event in the local paper Atencion which is great for highlighting events in and around town. There is always so much going on that it's easy to miss one, or sometimes the festival's name is in Spanish and it may not be evident by its title.


I asked one of the girls participants to pose with the rose as she seemed to have the best smile of all of them.
She and the boy in the image above were the central characters in their school skit.


The pair of them started off sitting on a bench and the boy appeared to reject the advances of the girl. I believe that this was part of a Valentines theme as every person had a heart on their palms.

After a short interval, with the music was playing all the time, the rest of their class mates joined them on stage and performed a choreographed dance.


It was great fun to watch and in this photo you can see all their hearts on their hands.

A few weeks later I came across an art festival called “Thank You Art' project. This is were kids and some adults, me included, glued coloured tissue paper to a clear plexiglass sheet.


They were allowed to cut the sheets into strange shapes or with cut-outs and even write messages on their sheets.


Then they were glued on top of each other in a multitude of different colors. When the panels were hung in a lighted area they glowed like stained glass panels.


During my photographing of the kids enjoying themselves one of the directors of the project asked me if they could use some of my photos for the up coming display of the final glass sheets.


I was fortunate to have several of my images selected for the Art show in the Biblioteca that ran for 2 weeks.
They printed my images 39cm x 52 cm (15” x 20”) and hung them on the wall around the 2 plexiglass sheets that looked like large stained glass windows.


When in San Miguel you should always, and I mean always, have your camera with you as you never know what's just waiting around the next corner. Three times during my winter stay I did not take my camera with me and I regretted it each time. Now I don't leave home without it. It may be a bit heavy so I carry it in my backpack.


Niels Henriksen




ue

Buildings of San Miguel


This is a story that evolves over time. Every year as I explore new parts of town or even revisit other parts at different times of the day, there are new buildings emerging. Not new in the sense of being just built but new in the sense of discovery. Especially when its not your town and even not your region, everything is so different.


Along the side of the Biblioteca on Relox


This is almost an abstract image with 3 main sections. I wanted the yellow to be dominant so I increased the contrast in this section and a bit in saturation. On some monitors if not calibrated it will display as very bright yellow, whereas it should be a bit soft. I darkened the blue and decreased saturation to make the yellow appear brighter. I didn't want to lighten the whole road so I increased the brightness in the highlights and strengthened the yellows.


Sometimes you get a 'batch perfect apples in the basket' so to speak. In the image below, the house was painted a blue to match the strong blue skies of San Miguel. The sky is also a darker blue here at approx. 7,000 ft. Strong blues ranging from this sky color to almost navy-blue can be found on several homes.

Near the corner of Aldama on a walk-only side street between Xichu and Oje de Agua
Google map reference (20.90370, -100.7432)


A very skinny house. Not sure what it's used for. I guess someone wanted to build a house in an alleyway. I seen places like this in Toronto where the house is 3 storeys high and 10' wide. This building in San Miguel may be actually skinnier.




Even with a 18mm lens I needed to stitch 2 vertical photos to get the whole building in one combined photo.


San Miguel, like most Mexican towns, is always undergoing some sort of building repainting. The standard building colors are yellow, rusty-orange, burnt-red, and some white. They may be repainted these same colors or even repainted a vibrant new color such as blue. That's why in Google Street View the photos of the buildings may not now be as shown in Google. Sometimes as in the photo below there has been some new painting with bolder colors.


This small section of buildings has all the colors of the rainbow and a few extra. Corner of Aldama and Terraplén



This colorful green building with just enough red to give it some accent caught my interest I. It wasn't until after I looked around that I realized that it was beside the entrance to the Bull Fighting Ring.




And sometimes with luck a car drives by, whose color enhances the photo of the building.


Next year I will be in San Miguel for six (6) months and I be conducting photo-walks again. If you are in the area then drop me a line and we can go out and photograph this lively town together.


Niels Henriksen




ue

Sections of Buildings in San Miguel de Allende



The photos displayed in the blog article focus mainly on parts or sections of buildings in San Miguel. While some photos, such as the image below, are clearly understood.  The rest have more of an abstract genre and for these the lines become the main compositional elements.


Within the city, the walls along with the sidewalks are continuous, except for the odd entrance to an inner courtyard or alley way.  In the photo above, this wall is most likely not part of a house, but used more as a high fence to an inner courtyard. Inside could be a rubble heap or a grand garden and fountain. Never knowing what you'll find behind these walls is one of the intriguing aspects of San Miguel.

On the  walls in the courtyard of Bellas Artes (the National Institute of Fine Arts)  these lanterns hang on the abutments on the adjacent walls. The darker brickwork along these abutments were darkened and made more gritter to enhance the texture of the lanterns.


This image is from the same courtyard of Bellas Artes, the photo above with the lanterns, but here I'm looking from across the street and the 3 curved protrusions are form the top of the outer wall.



Atotonilco is a UNESCO world historic site (church) about 20 mi out of San Miguel. It's only a short distance from here to the Hots Springs which is a favourite spot for many people in San Miguel. On Saturdays in the village (50 people)  there are many street vendors  selling unique religious objects.



Within the core of San Miguel is a Bull Fighting Ring. Only a few blocks from the central square (el Jardin) of the town. In the photo above you can just see the top the homes which abut to the walls all around the Bull Ring.  There were no events or spectators on this day and this allowed me to take photos of the beautiful curved lines of a circular bull ring.



While walking around I just couldn't resit this bit of abstraction with the 2 different lanterns and their corresponding shadows.


Niels Henriksen




ue

Administration continues to delay ending sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 1, 2024 — In December 2023, the White House announced a delay in the release of final rules to eliminate menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes and all characterizing flavors (other than tobacco) in cigars. At the time,...




ue

Ruling in the Braidwood Case Continues Uncertainty Over Access to No-Cost Preventive Screenings

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 21, 2024 – Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals limited a lower court ruling that many health insurance plans would no longer be required to provide cost-free coverage of preventive services recommended by the United States...




ue

La Cámara de Representantes aprueba un proyecto de ley que salvaría la vida de quienes sufran un paro cardíaco en el ámbito de una escuela

WASHINGTON, D.C., 23 de septiembre de 2024 — En el día de hoy, la Cámara de Representantes de los EE. UU. aprobó la Ley de Educación para la Salud, Concienciación, Investigación y Capacitación sobre Cardiomiopatías en las Escuelas (Health Education,...




ue

New USPSTF guidance: Continue to take low-dose aspirin if you have a history of heart attack, AFib, stroke or vascular stenting

DALLAS, Tuesday, April 26, 2022 – Earlier today, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its final recommendations on low-dose aspirin therapy for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults: people who have a history ...




ue

Nueva guía del USPSTF: seguir tomando una dosis baja de aspirina si tienes antecedentes de ataque cardíaco, fibrilación auricular (FibA), ataque o derrame cerebral o stent vascular

DALLAS, martes 26 de abril del 2022 - El martes, el Grupo Especial de Servicios Preventivos de los EE. UU. (USPSTF, del inglés U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) publicó sus recomendaciones finales sobre el tratamiento con dosis bajas de aspirina ...




ue

La American Heart Association agrega el sueño a la lista de salud cardiovascular

Recomendaciones destacadas: Se actualizó la lista de verificación de la American Heart Association para medir la salud cardiovascular, ahora denominada Los 8 Pasos Esenciales Para Mi Salud™, y se agregaron los hábitos de sueño saludables como un ...




ue

Importantes noticias: La menopausia puede afectar a la salud cardíaca de la mujer

DALLAS, 16 de octubre de 2024 — El riesgo de padecer enfermedades cardíacas aumenta con la edad en la mayoría de las personas. Sin embargo, en el caso de las mujeres, ese riesgo puede ser aún mayor. La transición a la menopausia, es decir, los años...




ue

Nueva guía: Prevenir un primer derrame cerebral puede ser posible con una prueba de detección y cambios en el estilo de vida

Aspectos destacados de la guía: Cada año en los EE. UU., más de medio millón de personas sufren un primer ataque o derrame cerebral; sin embargo, hasta el 80% de ellos podrían prevenirse. La nueva guía de prevención primaria de derrame cerebral de la...




ue

Los New York Jets de la NFL suman métodos para salvar vidas a la cadena de supervivencia en 12 escuelas

NEW YORK, 7 de noviembre de 2024 — La American Heart Association (la Asociación Americana del Corazón) y los New York Jets reunieron a representantes de 12 escuelas locales para realizar un entrenamiento de reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP) y...




ue

El miedo a sufrir otro ataque cardíaco puede ser una fuente importante de estrés continuo para supervivientes

Puntos destacados de la investigación: El miedo a sufrir otro ataque cardíaco fue un factor que influyó de manera constante y significativa en la forma en que los supervivientes de un ataque cardíaco perciben su salud, según un nuevo estudio. Si bien...




ue

El nivel socioeconómico durante el embarazo temprano puede desempeñar un papel importante en la salud cardíaca futura

Puntos destacados de la investigación: El nivel socioeconómico de las madres primerizas en el embarazo temprano puede afectar su salud cardiovascular hasta siete años después. El nivel socioeconómico —nivel educativo, nivel de ingresos, estado del ...




ue

La supervivencia al paro cardíaco mejoró desde que decreció la pandemia de COVID-19, aún es menor que en años anteriores

Este comunicado de prensa contiene información actualizada y datos que no están incluidos en el resumen. Puntos destacados de la investigación: Las tasas de supervivencia a los paros cardíacos extrahospitalarios en los EE. UU. disminuyeron de manera ...