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Hawaii Workers Compensation Lawyer

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In Hawaii, reform movements at high levels of government have created workers' compensation laws and procedures, which directly affect the way attorneys in this field represent their clients. These efforts have expedited the processes of determining how and when those who fall victim to workplace incidents get compensated.

According to the U.S Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 4.5 million injuries and illnesses are reported in private industry workplaces each year. This means that roughly five workers per 100 full-time workers are injured at work or become ill in the workplace each year. Certain work laws exist to guarantee that workers who are injured in the workplace will receive permanent financial awards. These laws were created in an effort to solve any kind of dispute outside of the courtroom.

Unfortunately, in some cases, a company or private employer will try to test these laws and attempt to pay an injured employee less than what they deserve to be compensated for their injuries, their pain, and their suffering. In these cases, the injured employee should always contact a worker's compensation lawyer or attorney for help.

To begin with, the hearing process has been streamlined to make it more efficient, and to reduce the waiting time for claimants who may have serious medical needs which require attention. Instead of allowing a 180-day window for hearings to be scheduled, they now must be scheduled within 80 days. Instead of allowing for delays at court, hearings are now double-stacked, so that if scheduled cases have settled, no time is wasted sitting around when something could be happening. In addition, no continuances will be permitted if they will only serve to push back a claims resolution.

The new policies also provide for the use of evidence-based medicine in resolving claims. This policy simply says that claims will be honored according to the accepted medical practices most clearly proven to yield results. All parties are encouraged to operate according to these evidence-based standards so that a resolution can be made quickly and agreeably.

Attorneys also need to be aware that HIOSH (Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health) has adopted a new philosophical approach to workers' compensation. They intend not just to enforce regulations from the top down, but also to partner with businesses to make the workplace safer in the first place. Results have shown over the past several years that the result of this new partnership has been a significant reduction in workers' compensation claims. As this approach begins to pervade the working culture, fewer business-related injuries will result from employer error or neglect. This will make workers' compensation claims more difficult to establish for the attorneys who continue to choose to represent them.

Of course, there is still plenty of need for workers' compensation attorneys in Hawaii. On average, Hawaiian workers are out of work longer with work-related injuries or illnesses, they have no recourse to any system of managed care, and there is no oversight of long-term treatment such as physical or occupational therapy. Claimants are still suffering more than in most states, and the system is rife with abuse that penalizes employers. Attorneys still have an opportunity to help bring about fair and just resolutions for their clients.

If you or someone you know has been injured at work, and you want to learn more about your legal rights, contact a workers' compensation lawyer or attorney today. You can find a workers' compensation lawyer by visiting the American Bar Association website. The American Bar Association website features a lawyer locator function which allows the user to search through worker's compensation lawyer and attorney profiles in each specific city and state. Access to the site and profiles is absolutely free.