LOCAL
POLITICS AND WORKERS COMPENSATION
By Chad Snow, Founding Partner/Attorney
There is a saying that “you might not be interested in
politics, but politics is sure interested in you.”
I’m often surprised at
how many of my friends, even those with advanced educations, have very little
idea what goes on in our local political scene and its effect on their
lives. I’ve written in past blog posts about the current makeup of the
industrial commission and how that has negatively affected the rights of
injured workers in Arizona. It is important to know that the
commissioners are appointed by the governor, who is currently Doug Ducey.
Mr. Ducey has prided himself as a champion of business. However, at least
as it involves the workers compensation field, this has come at the expense of
injured workers.
The commission has supported a host of initiatives in the
last two years that all chip away at the rights one has when injured on the
job. these include the limiting of the treating physician’s right to
determine appropriate medical care, the reduction of fees that doctors are paid
to treat injured workers (thus reducing the number of doctors that will treat
work injuries), and the allowance of insurance carriers to fully and finally
settle workers compensation cases (more on that in a separate post).
All of these moves, and several others, have been pushed
through by a republican controlled legislature that often does not have the
interests of working class Arizonans on their minds. No matter what your
politics otherwise, if you are a worker in the state of Arizona, or have
already suffered an on the job injury, pay attention to who you vote for local
offices and their positions on matters affecting workers.
For more information on Workers' Compensation or Social Security Disability, please contact Snow, Carpio & Weekley toll-free at 855-325-4781 or visit our website at www.workinjuryaz.com. We serve the entire State of Arizona and have offices located in Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma and Lake Havasu City.
