Missouri Offers Free Safety Consultation to Employers as Businesses Re-Open

Missouri’s Department of Labor & Industrial Relations Offering Free Virtual Guidance to Assist Employers with Mitigation of COVID-19 Exposure as businesses re-open. Employers who are concerned about customers and employees health and safety during this pandemic and need safety expert advice as they reopen MO businesses can turn to the Missouri On-site Safety and Health …

Missouri’s Division of Workers’ Compensation issues Scheduling Update

On April 2, 2020, Missouri’s Division of Workers’ Compensation issued the following update: April 2, 2020 NOTICE OF CANCELLATIONS - COVID-19 - CHANGE IN OPERATIONS All Conferences, Pre-Hearings, and Show Cause Dismissal Settings will be cancelled from April 20, 2020 through May 29, 2020. The DWC is open for business! Attorneys - Please contact the …

COVID-19 Update: Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation

A message from the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation: In the interest of your health and safety, and that of employees at the Division of Workers’ Compensation, please note: Routine matters can be handled by email and tele-conference:See the local office docketing email chart on the DWC website and below to submit requests for continuance, …

New Missouri bill proposes several workers’ compensation reforms.

Missouri State Representative Bruce DeGroot (Chesterfield) introduced a bill to the Missouri House of Representatives on January 3, 2018, which seeks to modify the state’s workers’ compensation law.  If H.B. 1693 is passed, it would become effective in August of 2018.  The bill includes numerous modifications to the Act. The bill would require that in …

Smoking breaks, pigeons lead to the eventual death of a County Investigator and a cloudy workers’ compensation claim in Missouri

Terry Lankford brought a workers’ compensation claim in Missouri for the development of pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to developing a breathing fungus and bacteria associated with pigeon droppings. Lankford, a heavy smoker, worked as an investigator for the county. He stated that when he started working for the county that he would …

Missouri Commission Doused Horseplay Claim

In a recent Missouri case involving "horseplay," the claimant, Hedrick, was a mechanic who suffered serious burns resulting in a coma when he intentionally lit a can of adhesive which a coworker was holding. It caused an explosion and serious injuries to both the coworker and himself. The claimant required substantial treatment and incurred medical …

More Missouri mental stress claims headed our way?

Missouri's Appellate Court recently ruled on a mental stress case* involving a woman who worked for the Missouri Department of Transportation and whose job required her to respond to traffic accidents. She claimed to have witnessed many disturbing events during her 20 years on the job. For example, she testified that she accidentally kicked the decapitated head …

Missouri Court of Appeals gives no “Break” to Employer in Lunchroom Injury Claim

The Missouri Court further muddied the 2005 reforms which attempted to restrict compensable work related injuries and awarded worker’s compensation benefits for a claimant who was injured on his lunch break based on the personal comfort doctrine. At the end of last year, the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed an award of PTD finding that …