An important aspect of your Minnesota workers’ compensation claim, particularly in conjunction with the medical expense reimbursement, is that stays with you for the rest of your life. It doesn’t matter if you continue to work with the same employer. It doesn’t matter if you continue to live in the state of Minnesota. It doesn’t matter if five years, ten years, twenty years goes by. In fact, over the years I have had numerous clients who have come back to me, contacted me and said ‘hey, I had an injury to my low back 15-20 years ago and the insurance company said that my file is closed. They said that I cannot have this medical care treatment’. No matter what the insurance adjuster may tell you, your file remains open. Your future medical expenses remain open, again, for the rest of your life no matter where you live.

If your claim is denied, if the insurance company says we are not going to pay, or if the insurance company tells you that your file is closed, too much time has gone by, you must have sustained an injury while playing softball or lifting something at home, contact Meuser Law Office, P.A. because we can certainly file the claim. A lot of times people have already settled their claims on what we call a full, final, complete basis but they left open their future medical expenses. A lot of times their attorneys don’t want to continue to represent them because there is really not much more money in it for them.

At Meuser Law Office, P.A. we are here and we are dedicated to the injured workers in Minnesota. So if you have a claim, even if you’ve already settled out the other parts of the claim, we are here help you to ensure that those medical expenses get reimbursed. If you need surgery; if you need physical therapy; if you need prescription medications, we are here to ensure and force the insurance company if need be, to pay those benefits to which you’re otherwise entitled.

Don’t wait to get an attorney involved if you have a Minnesota workers’ compensation claim. The process can be complex and you want to be sure you receive the full benefits you are entitled, such as future medical expenses. Contact Meuser Law Office, P.A. for a free no-obligation consultation and claim evaluation. At Meuser Law Office, P.A. we keep our clients informed of the process as well as what to expect each step of the way.

Historically, Minnesota workers’ compensation permanent total disability benefits were subject to offset based on a disabled employee’s receipt of “old age and survivors insurance benefits.” Minn. Stat. § 176.101, Subd. 4. The Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals traditionally interpreted this statute to include public retirement pensions and benefits, including retirement benefits under the Teachers Retirement Association (TRA), the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS), and the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA).
What this meant in practice is that if an injured worker was deemed to be permanently and totally disabled within the meaning of the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act, and that individual received a public retirement benefit under TRA, MSRS, or PERA, after the first $25,000.00 in permanent total disability wage loss benefits were paid, the workers’ compensation insurer was allowed reduce the workers’ compensation payments dollar-for-dollar based on the employee’s retirement benefit. For example, if the permanent total disability workers’ compensation benefit was the monthly equivalent of $2,500.00 per month and that same injured worker received a retirement pension of $2,000.00 per month, the workers’ compensation insurer would only have to pay the difference between the two – or $500.00 per month. In effect, this shifted the financial burden of a work injury to back to a permanently disabled injured worker.

On behalf of Meuser Law Office, P.A., we extend our sincerest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Officer Jason Moszer, 33, who has died after being shot in the line of duty. Officer Moszer was among officers responding to a domestic disturbance call that involved an armed suspect on Thursday, February 11, 2016. The suspect began shooting at the officers outside his home, killing Officer Moszer with a single gunshot wound.
Officer Moszer, a six-year veteran with the Fargo, ND police department, was a highly-decorated soldier who served in Iraq. Officer Jason Moszer, leaves behind a wife and two children.

Meuser Law Office, P.A. has represented hundreds of police officers, firefighters, state troopers, and paramedics and understand the dangers they face each day they put on their uniform. We respect the risks they take performing their daily duties to keep our communities safe and take this time to simply say thank you.

Please keep his family, friends, and fellow officers in your prayers.

The Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) provides retirement and disability benefits for public employees in the state of Minnesota including police officers, firefighters, and corrections officers. A police officer, firefighter, or corrections officer who suffers a disabling injury in the line of duty may be eligible for PERA duty disability benefits.

PERA’s duty disability requirements are complex, and the application process can be difficult. Even after securing approval for PERA duty disability benefits, coordinating those benefits with workers’ compensation is also challenging. Making a mistake during the application process, applying for the wrong type of benefit, missing a timing deadline, or coordinating PERA improperly with workers’ compensation can cost a disabled police officer, firefighter or corrections officer tens of thousands of dollars.