by Donald R. Barthel (July 21, 2026)
This is the second of a two-part article regarding workers’ compensation fraud. In Exhibit “A”, we learned about the relative rarity of classic surveillance catches and wandered into the teeth of California Insurance Code section…
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by Donald R. Barthel (July 20, 2026)
(Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series regarding workers’ compensation fraud. In Exhibit “A”, we will look at the reality of surveillance videos and highlight California Insurance Code section 1871.4 as an…
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by Donald R. Barthel (July 17, 2026)
When determining whether a psychiatric impairment may be compensable, it’s important to understand the “violent act” exception. In a previous article, “If Everything Is Catastrophic, Is Anything?“, we explored the “catastrophic injury” exception under Labor…
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by Donald R. Barthel (July 13, 2026)
WCJ’s unofficial job description: Professional evaluator of stories that all begin with, “To be honest…” How well can judges assess a witness’s credibility, and how important does the WCAB believe it is for a WCJ…
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by Donald R. Barthel (July 10, 2026)
“Sometimes the most powerful litigation tool isn’t the one everyone talks about—it’s the one everyone forgets to use.” — Don Barthel Let’s face it, every workers’ compensation professional is practically drowning in alphabet soup. We…
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by Donald R. Barthel (July 9, 2026)
Understanding the “Catastrophic” Exception for Post-2013 Psych Claims “Psyche claims are where medicine, law, and human nature all walk into the same courtroom—and only one of them leaves making perfect sense.” — Don Barthel Back…
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by John P. Kamin (July 8, 2026)
The recent departure of Employment Development Department (EDD) employees from their formerly-leased office spaces at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board is already impacting and delaying settlements at some, but not all boards. As we previously…
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by Donald R. Barthel (July 7, 2026)
“A narrowly-tailored subpoena shows sound judgment. An overbroad one may have everyone questioning yours.” – Dr. Psyche O’Logist An applicant pursuing a psyche claim in the California workers’ compensation system has several tools to severely…
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by John P. Kamin (June 10, 2026)
California lawmakers are considering a new bill that would make it more difficult to file cumulative trauma claims in California. State Sen. Laura Richardson (D – San Pedro) introduced Senate Bill 795, which would place…
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by John P. Kamin (May 27, 2026)
The Law Offices of Bradford and Barthel has confirmed that the Employment Development Department’s Disability Insurance branch’s representatives will no longer have their own offices at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. The change will take…
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