Please join us for the 20th Anniversary of the Wisconsin Worker’s Compensation Forum on October 5 and 6, 2022, at the Brookfield Conference Center. In addition to programming, the event offers networking, an Exhibitor Hall, attendee giveaways, and the popular Happy Hours!

Our very own Chelsie Springstead is the current President of the WIWC Forum. Additionally, Doug Feldman, Oyvind Wistrom and Sally Piefer are presenters at this year’s Forum.

If you are unable to attend in person, a virtual option will be offered again this year. The in-person sessions will be livestreamed and virtual attendees will be eligible for CEUs.

Register early and save! Early bird registration through August 31:

Wednesday Only – $69

Thursday Only – $109

Full Forum In-Person and Virtual (Wed/Thurs) – $139

Regular price (September 1-23):

Wednesday Only – $79

Thursday Only – $129

Full Forum In-Person and Virtual (Wed/Thurs) – $159

If you are interested in attending, click here more information and to register.

Kids’ Chance of Wisconsin is celebrating its 10 year anniversary with a charity gala at Westmoor Country Club on Saturday, September 24, 2022. Kids’ Chance is a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to children of seriously injured workers in Wisconsin.

Chelsie Springstead is a Kids’ Chance of Wisconsin Board Member and Doug Feldman is a Past President and current Ambassador. Doug will be acting as a Live Auctioneer for the evening. In addition, Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks will be the keynote speaker.

If you are interested in attending or sponsoring this event, click here for more information https://kidschanceofwi.org/10-year-anniversary-charity-gala/.

By: Daniel Pedriana and Vanja Pemac

On April 8, 2022, Governor Evers signed into law 2021 Wisconsin Act 232 (The Act). The Act, sponsored by the bipartisan House Labor and Integrated Employment Committee, was passed to increase weekly permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits in addition to changing the way that the average weekly wage (AWW) for part-time employees is calculated.

Wisconsin has not raised the weekly PPD benefit rate since 2017. The Act changes the weekly PPD benefit to $415.00 for injuries occurring on or after April 10, 2022. The Act further increases the weekly PPD benefit to $430.00 for injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2023.

The new default rule in Wisconsin is that part-time work (work below 35 hours per week) is expanded to 40 hours per week for purposes of calculating the average weekly wage (AWW). The Wisconsin legislature recognizes that an injury at a part-time job can often have full-time vocational effects for employees, as an injury at one part-time job may hinder an employee’s ability to participate in other part-time job. Thus, the default expansion to a 40 hour workweek may remediate the vocational impact of a work injury.

Previously, a claimant needed to meet four conditions to be considered “part of a class” and have their hours set below 40:

1. All class members needed to be performing the same type of work at the same location;
2. The class of part-time employees needed to represent a minimum of 10% of all employees doing the same type of work;
3. The claimant needed to have a regular schedule that did not vary more than five hours from week to week in the 13 weeks before the injury; and
4. At least one other employee needed to be in the same class as the claimant.

If the claimant met all of these conditions, their hours would reflect the hours actually worked or expanded to the statutory minimum of 24 hours. If the claimant did not meet all of the conditions demonstrating a regularly scheduled class of part-time employees, their hours would be expanded to reflect a full-time schedule of 40 hours.

Now, the “part of a class” section of the law is eliminated. Any claimant who is engaged in part-time work and injured on or after April 9, 2022, will be considered full time if they worked at the part-time job for twelve months or less. If the claimant had another part-time job, they would be considered full time.

If an employee has worked at a part-time job for twelve months or more and does not have another part-time job, AWW is determined in conjunction with Wis. Stat. § 102.11(1)(ap)(1)(a) or (b), whichever is greater. Subsection (a) provides that AWW will be determined by analyzing actual average weekly earnings for the 52 calendar weeks before the injury, except for the weeks in which no work was performed. Subsection (b) provides that AWW will be determined by the employee’s hourly earnings on the date of the injury multiplied by the average weekly hours worked, except for the weeks in which no work was performed. Both calculations shall be computed and the higher of the two shall be used as the employee’s AWW.

The Act does not affect the ability of the employer to argue that the claimant is self-restricted to part-time work. An employer may rebut the default expansion to a 40 hour workweek for AWW determination by showing proof that the employee chose to work less than full time. Such evidence may include a signed statement by the employee limiting their work hours or other documentation showing an hour or shift preference. Any rebuttal by the employer does not affect the statutory minimum of a 24 hour workweek for AWW calculation.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Lindner & Marsack attorney with whom you regularly work. We will continue providing updates as we learn more about the new Act.

By: Matthew Kurudza

Assembly Bill 11 was passed in the Senate on February 16, 2021 and presented to Governor Evers on April 22, 2021.  This bill, now known as 2021 Wisconsin Act 29 (Act), was signed by Governor Evers on April 27, 2021.  This bipartisan bill was passed to allow public safety officers – including law enforcement and firefighters – who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) under certain conditions to receive worker’s compensation benefits without having to prove that the injury was caused by extraordinary stress.

Since the mid-1970’s, Wisconsin has recognized non-traumatic mental injuries in worker’s compensation.  Specifically, in the School District No. 1 v. DILHR  decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court established the “extraordinary stress” standard for compensability.  This decision provided that a “mental injury non-traumatically caused must have resulted from a situation of greater dimensions than the day-to-day emotional strain and tension which all employees must experience.”  This standard was clarified in the Spink v. Farm Credit Services decision, where the court found “the amount of stress in the applicant’s occupation and field … served as the benchmark for comparison with the stress that the applicant claims entitles him or her to worker’s compensation.”  Later, the Jenson v. Employer’s Mutual Court further clarified the test stating the stress was “measured not by its effects on the victim, but by the unusual nature of the occupational stress itself.”  These onerous standards often prevented employees in high-stress jobs – such as public safety officers, from prevailing on a claim for PTSD.

The Act itself makes a few important changes, most notably by relaxing the existing “extraordinary stress” standard discussed above, along with setting caps on liability.  These changes are discussed in detail below:

First, the Act allows payment of worker’s compensation benefits if a public safety officer, such as law enforcement or firefighter, is diagnosed with PTSD by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, and the mental injury is not accompanied by a physical injury if proven by a preponderance of the evidence and the mental injury is not a result of a result of a good faith employment action by the employer. Wis. Stat §102.17(9)(b).

Second, the Act limits the liability for treatment of such injuries and claims to no more than 32 weeks after the injury is first reported. Wis. Stat §102.42(1p).

Third, it restricts the ability to claim compensation for such injuries and diagnoses to three times within an individual’s lifetime, regardless of a change in employment status. Wis. Stat §102.17(9)(c).

In short, this legislation eases the process of claiming a mental injury and obtaining covered treatment, and expenses for public safety officers by altering the previous standards for compensable non-traumatic mental injuries.

For more information about these changes, please contact your Lindner & Marsack, S.C. attorney at (414) 273-3910.