Workers’ Compensation Hell: Getting Through to the Other Side

Posted August 10, 2022, updated onAugust 10, 2022 by Cory Oleson

This post is based on a five-part podcast series that we did with art historian Paul Costa covering the topic Dante Alighieri, his seminal work Inferno, 1800s French sculptor Auguste Rodin, and his famous piece The Gates of Hell. We encourage you to check it out!

Injured workers who have spent enough time stuck in the workers’ compensation system very well may refer to their experience with the process as hell.

We’re referring to claims that have dragged on for 6 – 10 months and beyond. The harrowing experience of being stuck in the claim can be equal to, and sometimes worse, than the workplace injury itself.

Here we examine just how these work comp claims can be like hell, specifically from the perspective of Dante’s work, Inferno.

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A Radical Revisitation of Radiculopathy

Posted January 12, 2022, updated onFebruary 5, 2022 by Cory Oleson

Radiculopathy, that’s when a T-Rex with sunglasses does a skateboard trick right? Nope.

Is that when you have an injury in your back? Getting warmer but not entirely true.

Well, what is it then?

This is why we’ve deemed it necessary to revisit this somewhat confusing, but nonetheless ‘rad’ term used in medicine.
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Workers’ Comp: the Central Issue in California’s Battle over Prop 22

Posted August 31, 2021, updated onAugust 31, 2021 by Cory Oleson

Hector Castellanos, a full-time driver for rideshare giants Uber and Lyft, was injured in the course of work when he was struck by another car “I was hit by another driver while I was working, ended up needing the surgery and months of physical therapy, and I had to stop working for about a year,”

This issue was taken to court after Castellanos alleged that he had been promised a pay raise and increased healthcare by the company, a promise that had not been fulfilled.

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Summer 2021 COVID-19 Report

Posted August 4, 2021, updated onAugust 5, 2021 by Cory Oleson

In the months following the initial vaccine distribution early this year, it started to feel as though COVID-19 was soon to be a distant memory, a thing of the past. People began going outside, mask mandates were lifted, friends and families reunited. Much joy was had.

Of course, as we know having lived the past few months, this didn’t last very long.
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Factors to Consider Regarding the Future of California Workers’ Compensation

Posted July 15, 2021, updated onJuly 15, 2021 by Cory Oleson

Dear reader, look into our crystal ball. It shows you the future of California workers’ compensation. All who gaze into it see something different. Some see a workers comp system running with the clarity and ease of a mountain stream. Others simply scream and run away.

In this post we will examine workers’ compensation as it is today, and see if we can use this insight to make a few educated guesses of what the future holds.

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RateFast Podcast: Automation in Workers’ Compensation

Posted May 10, 2021, updated onMay 12, 2021 by Cory Oleson

This article is a transcription of an episode of the RateFast podcast, which you can listen to by searching “RateFast” in iTunes or the iOS podcast store.