How Independent Contractors and Workers’ Comp Impact Each Other If you’ve been injured on the job as an independent contractor, you may have a lot of questions about whether you might be eligible for workers’ compensation. Bear in mind the role of independent contractors and the protection of workers’ compensation are two completely different areas of business and the law. Workers’ compensation covers employees of a specific company. Independent contractors are, by definition, not employees. But there is a lot of confusion about how these two things relate with each other and don’t – and whether you qualify as an employee or contractor to begin with. So here’s what you need to know about workers’ compensation as an independent contractor.
By: Darrell Castle Video Transcript Hello this is Darrell Castle and I’m an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee and on this video today I want to talk to you about workers’ compensation. What happens when you’re injured on the job and you receive workers’ compensation benefits? A lump sum settlement perhaps? Well most of the time, you have the right to medical care for life for that injury. That’s called “leaving the medicals open for that injury.” Anytime you need to have treatment for that injury, you can go back to your workers’ comp doctor and get that treatment. That happens quite often. Now, you can settle that. You can close out your medicals at
As human beings, we aren’t perfect and make mistakes. Sometimes, these mistakes can cause injury, especially if you work in a labor intensive industry like construction. This is why companies carry workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ compensation insurance is meant to give supplemental compensation to employees who are injured on the job for their lost wages. However, with new Tennessee laws, the process has changed, and not necessarily for the best. Let’s do a little role play to further explain. Joe works for a company building houses everyday. On a windy workday, he is climbing up a ladder to get onto the roof to do some work when all of the sudden, a gust of wind hits the ladder causing it
Help If You’ve Been Injured on the Job By law, employers must carry workers’ comp insurance to cover their employees for on-the-job injuries. So what does a workers’ compensation attorney do? And how can they help? When you’re hurt on the job and have to miss work, workers’ comp should cover your financial needs. This includes: Lost wages Medical expenses Personal therapy and other injury-related costs Ideally, this process would all go smoothly so you can focus entirely on recovering. But unfortunately, sometimes the insurance company denies your claim or refuses to pay what you actually need. That’s where we come in. Workers’ comp laws are difficult and complex. And the paperwork can take enormous time and energy. As a
I like the story where Joel Peterson, Chairman of JetBlue Airways, described his first job. When Joel was 11, he started a fresh-produce delivery service in a small Michigan town where he grew up. He planted, cultivated and harvested his own crops. He also hired his six year old brother to transform his toy wagon into a delivery truck. Joel ran this small business for an entire summer, bringing in a gross income of $14. What did Joel learn? “I learned that running your own concern is hard – especially when success depends on the weather and the neighbor’s vacation plans,” Joel said. Joel learned what was at the heart of a business – work. “From twenty years of teaching
Sports gambling & debt By: Darrell Castle The World Cup is upon us and it’s drawing a big buzz here in the US, including the casual soccer fans who only watch the sport every four years when the World Cup presents itself. However, it’s also an event drawing interest from people who don’t care for the sport whatsoever, but instead love to bet on big games. Now, there are two types of gamblers from my view – those who gamble for fun, and those who gamble to make ends meet. The people who gamble to make ends meet are the ones I’m worried about, especially when they probably can’t make ends meet in the first place because they’ve lost their
The 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey is out, and Americans are worried about the status of their retirement. Insecurity about retirement tied last year’s numbers, and those numbers are the highest in 23 years. Nearly 1/3 of all Americans worry they won’t have enough money to retire. People realize it’s important to save money for retirement – it’s just that recent events and life circumstances make saving difficult, if not impossible. Many people nearing retirement face: Job insecurity or unemployment Credit card debt Investments that performed poorly during the recession Children with student loan debt Unpaid medical bills Family members also in financial need or, in some cases, using their family’s finances irresponsibly According to the survey, 55% of
By: Darrell Castle What if I told you that filing for bankruptcy can help you increase your monthly cash flow to meet your needs? I’ll explain by telling you a story about Dan, a guy I made up but whose story is a very real one I see quite often. Dan is behind on some bills. He’s a working man with a good job, a family, a house and two cars. Dan is living the “American Dream.” However, Dan’s wife got sick and had to spend some time in the hospital, resulting in thousands of dollars in medical bills. He wasn’t the best saver and didn’t have sufficient money in his emergency fund to cover the bills. He had a
By: Darrell Castle Ford is introducing Peer-2-Peer Car Sharing, a program that will help ensure vehicle owners are able to afford their monthly payments. The program — which is in its pilot stage — is currently available in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Portland, Chicago, Washington, DC and London. Ford’s says research shows young adults have shown interest in this as a way to supplement their beginning income. (To learn everything you need to do at the scene of a car accident, click here download my Car Accident Checklist for FREE.) Should this program find success, then maybe we’ll see it in Memphis one day. You can find out more about this program here. My Take Innovation is a
Xarelto has dangerous blood-thinning effects By: Darrell Castle If you or a loved one haven taken Xarelto and have experienced dangerous bleeding effects, I’d love to talk to you. Please call (901) 327-1212 , or fill out one of the contact forms on this page, to schedule a free consultation with an experienced attorney. Video Transcript Hello, I’m Darrell Castle and I’m an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee and if you’re taking the drug Xarelto, then I’d like to ask you a question. Let’s say you go into your doctor’s office and he prescribes this drug for you for atrial fibrillation – or A-Fib as most people call it – because he says it’s going