Workers Compensation Terms and Definitions

Claims Administrator This is the term for insurance companies and others who handle your workers' compensation claim. Vocational Rehabilitation This benefit assists qualified injured workers in returning to work. Commutation An order by a Workers' Compensation Administrative Law Judge for a lump sum payment of part or all of your permanent disability award. Payment can be made to either the injured worker or the injured worker's attorney. Compromise and Release (C&R) Generally, a final settlement of your workers' compensation case where the parties agree on a single lump sum payment. It usually settles all outstanding issues except for future vocational rehabilitation. Apportionment A way of figuring out how much of your permanent disability is due to your industrial injury and how much is due to other disabilities. Stipulation with Request for Award (Stip): A settlement where the parties agree on the terms of an award. It may include any future medical treatment. Payment takes place over time. Application for Adjudication of Claim (Application or App) Filing this form establishes a case before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB). A WCAB case number will be assigned. State Disability Insurance (SDI): A branch of the Employment Development Department that pays temporary disability benefits for non-industrial injuries or illnesses. Workers' Compensation Administrative Law Judge Judges at DWC district offices that conduct hearings, take evidence, issue decisions, and approve settlements. Agreed Medical Examiner (AME) A physician selected by your attorney and the claims administrator who conducts a medical evaluation and submits a comprehensive report to the parties.

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	Did You Know?
	OSHA has developed final "Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence OSHA has developed final "Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care and Social Service Workers" and draft guidelines for night retail establishments. The intent of the guidelines is to educate employers on finding ways to provide a more secure work environment. Consequently, OSHA hopes that employers will voluntarily implement workplace violence protection programs. Workplace violence has emerged as an important safety issue in today's workplaces. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) fatality data, assaults and violent acts caused 20 percent of the fatal occupational injuries in the United States in 1994.