September 9, 2021 Samantha Webster Structured settlements may be used to fund a Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA). Samantha Webster, Synergy’s Director of Case Management, addresses two common questions that come up about funding of a WCMSA with a structured settlement annuity. Question #1: “Are there different structured settlement options to fund a Medicare Set-Aside […]
April 8, 2021 Rasa Fumagalli JD, MSCC, CMSP-F The nature of the Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) has evolved over the years since the 2001 Patel Memo. That evolution has seen us move from every WCMSA that met the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) internal workload review threshold being submitted to CMS for […]
March 25, 2020 B. Josh Pettingill We are oftentimes asked about injured workers who have a Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP) and if they still need to use their Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) funds if the MAP will cover all their medical care. This brief post will explain Medicare’s position on this issue and then […]
February 13, 2020 An inquiry that Synergy receives on a regular basis involves a Medicare-eligible claimant who has both a workers’ compensation and a third-party liability companion case. The third-party liability claim has resolved and now the workers’ comp carrier has a lien against the liability claim for the amount that has been paid out […]
B. Josh Pettingill Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the latest edition of their Medicare Set-Aside (MSA) self-administration toolkit. This toolkit is intended to serve as a guidebook or roadmap for how to properly administer a Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) account. The statistics show that 99% of claimants elect […]
B. Josh Pettingill The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approval of a Medicare Set-Aside is a voluntary process but getting CMS approval has become the standard practice when resolving catastrophic workers’ compensation cases with Medicare eligible, injured workers. There are countless ways that an approval can be delayed. If any of the following […]
B Josh Pettingill Appropriate settlement language can make a significant impact on the total amount of the workers’ compensation settlement, as well as dollars that the injured worker receives. This brief article will provide plaintiff/applicant attorneys with the requisite settlement language to maximize the workers’ compensation recovery, as well as protect their respective firms and […]
B. Josh Pettingill Reversionary clauses have become a common term of settlement in workers’ compensation cases involving a Medicare Set Aside (MSA). It is important for workers’ compensation attorneys to understand how these clauses can impact the injured worker, as well as the settlement. What is a reversionary clause? A reversionary clause means that when […]
Evidence Based MSAs (EBMSAs) have taken the workers’ compensation industry by storm the past several years.