GQ Corner
Q. I have a claimant who has lost no time yet. He wanted the claim denied because he thought it was just an aggravation of this the same body part that he injured in 2014. I explained that the 2014 injury was his right shoulder and the 2018 injury is the left shoulder but he insisted it was the same side on both occasions. I denied the claim and the doctor’s office called and confirmed that there was a difference between the 2014 and the 2018 injuries. How do I rescind the denial?
A. If you no longer wish to maintain the denial, you may accept compensability without a hearing or other proceedings and initiate/pay benefits in the usual fashion. Just be sure to complete the applicable PLN forms as you would anytime you initiate benefits on a claim.
Q. I have a new claim where the injured employee is claiming exposure to Benzene from the Deer Park fires. I will call him in the morning for a statement. Do you have any questions for the possible chemical exposure or suggestions on this?
A. Specificity is critical. Questions about when the claimant first started noticing the symptoms, what they were, if they stopped after they were no longer exposed to the chemical, and how long they lasted are important. It’s also important to ask how the exposure happened, such as aerosol or skin to chemical contact, and how the claimant knows that it was actually benzene.
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