Tag Archives: COVID-19

Causey Wright Team

CW Is Working from Home

Almost all of Causey Wright is working from home in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. While CW is working from home, you can reach us through the usual means: phone, fax, email, web chat, postal mail and delivery services like FedEx or UPS.

Tips for you while we work through this together

Causey Wright remains available to our current clients as well as potential new clients who need help with an injury- or disability-related matter. The following list of tips will keep us connected while CW is working from home:

  • All paralegals and attorneys are working their regular schedules, mostly from their homes. 
  • Our employees working from home have remote access to our database. All of our internal  processes will continue to function normally.
  • Our phone system allows our employees to make and receive calls whether we are at the office or at home. Please continue to use our regular office phone and fax numbers.
  • If you reach voice mail, please know that those messages are received as both a voice mail and an email, so they will not be missed. Leave a detailed message so that, when we return your call, we can give you a detailed answer. Try to avoid “please call me” messages – let us know what you need – that’s why we’re here!
  • We are also all available by email. You can use our direct email addresses or, if you need more assistance, reachus @ CauseyWright .com is monitored by the management team.
  • All bookkeeping will continue as normal – checks will be processed daily, both those received electronically from the Department of Labor and Industries as well as paper checks received in the mail. For those clients who have direct deposit set up with us, the payment will be processed electronically, as normal.
  • For those clients who do not have direct deposit set up with us, paper checks will be mailed the same day we receive payment.  Please consider setting up direct deposit – it’s faster, for us and for you, avoiding delays.

We will continue to post updates concerning WA workers’ compensation and longshore claims on this blog. All articles are linked through our social media channels, as well.

For all things related to Causey Wright you can go to our website. You can find us on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn – see the links on the navigation bar. You can also subscribe to receive email updates from our blog when new posts go up, below, if you wish.  We are here as a resource for you, your friends and family.

Recent posts on this topic

KRISTEN WOLF’S WFH STORY

DLI NEWS: CORONAVIRUS ON THE JOB

Occupational Disease

DLI News: Coronavirus On The Job

Governor Jay Inslee and and L&I Director Joel Sacks issued a press release concerning the Department’s policy on workers’ compensation coverage related to exposures to Coronavirus on the job.

The primary news is for health care workers and first responders who are quarantined by a physician or public health officer.  Under the clarified policy, workers’ compensation benefits must be provided benefits to these workers during the time they’re quarantined after being exposed to COVID-19 on the job.  The policy also applies to others who may have accepted claims for exposure to COVID-19; for example, those who are not considered health care workers but are working in facilities with documented exposures or others whose claims may be approved.

As a reminder, answers to the following questions must be considered for workers who file claims and are not working in jobs or at facilities where exposure would be routinely expected:

Was there an increased risk or greater likelihood of exposure or contracting the disease due to the worker’s occupation (first responders or health care workers)?

If not for their job, would the worker have been exposed or contracted the condition?

Can the worker identify a specific source or event during their employment that resulted in exposure to COVID-19/Coronavirus on the job?

When exposure to or contraction of the disease is incidental to the workplace or common to all employment (for example, an office worker who may have been exposed through a fellow employee, or a waitress through a customer), the claim will likely be denied.

How to File, and What to Do if Your Claim is Denied

Our suggestion to those that are diagnosed with COVID-19, and believe that they were exposed to the Coronavirus on the job, especially as a healthcare worker or first responder, is to file a claim with the Department of Labor and Industries. A claim can be:

  • Filed online
  • By phone: 1-877-561-FILE (3453)
  • At your doctor’s office (if you complete the Report of Accident at your doctor’s office, the doctor files the form for you)

You can watch a DLI video that describes the process for filing a claim if you need more information about the process.

As with any claim decision, the Department of Labor and Industries will issue an Order and Notice stating that your claim was denied. You have sixty (60) days within which to file a written protest or appeal if you disagree with the decision. A protest can be faxed, mailed or submitted to the Department online. If no protest or appeal is filed within 60 days from the date you received the order, the decision becomes final and binding on all parties.

If you have questions or if your claim should be denied, please feel free to contact our firm for assistance. We offer a free case analysis, and would be happy to discuss the circumstances you are facing with you.

Prior Posts Related to Occupational Expsoures

HANFORD VAPOR LITIGATION RESOLVED THROUGH SETTLEMENT

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS MAY FACE INCREASED RISK FOR MANY CANCERS