Earlier this week Governor Rick Snyder signed off on a new workers compensation laws in order to repay the federal government $3 billion it owes in unemployment benefits.

However, many are criticizing the new legislation. Unemployed workers who are receiving workers compensation have only 10 weeks to find a job, even if it pays lower than their previous job and is outside their previous experience. If they decide not to take a job after 10 weeks, they could lose their benefits. This provision will make it harder for unemployed workers to collect benefits if they quit or are fired.

The only professions exempt from the new law are firefighters and law enforcement.

If you have suffered a workplace injury, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation. Contact the Des Moines workers’ compensation attorneys of LaMarca & Landry, P.C., at 877-327-2600 today.

A man has received probation after pleading guilty to workers’ compensation fraud and filing a false report.

The 28 year-old paramedic shot himself in January but said that a man wearing a lime green jacket with NASCAR badges on it shot him. While the shooting was under investigation, the man broke down and admitted he made the story up and the wound was self-inflicted.

A judge has sentenced him to thirty-six months probation for workers’ compensation fraud and one year for filing a false report, both will be served concurrently.

If you have been injured on the job, contact the Des Moines workers’ compensation lawyers of LaMarca & Landry, P.C. at 877-327-2600.

A former construction worker is suing his employer for $10 million after he lost his leg in a car accident that occurred while on the job. The man says his boss was negligent as she was driving a pickup truck and ran over him.

While his boss has taken sole responsibility for the accident and agreed that he should be awarded workers’ compensation for the accident, she believes that his compensation should be capped at $50,000 by law. The man claims he was not covered by workers’ compensation insurance and so no limit should be imposed.

He is seeking the $10 million in lost income, the extent of his injuries, medical expenses, unpaid overtime, and his wife’s emotional distress.

If you or someone you know has suffered a workplace injury, contact the Des Moines workers’ compensation lawyers of LaMarca & Landry, P.C. today by calling 877-327-2600.