{"id":5553,"date":"2012-09-11T02:53:48","date_gmt":"2012-09-11T02:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.duncanlawonline.com\/?p=5553"},"modified":"2015-05-17T01:16:57","modified_gmt":"2015-05-17T05:16:57","slug":"what-to-expect-at-a-workers-compensation-mediation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.duncanlawonline.com\/staging\/8350\/what-to-expect-at-a-workers-compensation-mediation\/","title":{"rendered":"What Should I Expect at a Workers’ Compensation Mediation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n[av_heading heading=’What Should I Expect at a Workers\u2019 Compensation Mediation?’ tag=’h1′ style=” size=” subheading_active=” subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][\/av_heading]
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[av_heading heading=’Why Am I Going Through Mediation?’ tag=’h2′ style=” size=” subheading_active=” subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][\/av_heading]<\/p>\n

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\nIn North Carolina, if a party to a workers\u2019 compensation<\/a> case, such as an injured worker or an employer\/insurance company, has requested a hearing in front of the North Carolina Industrial Commission by filing a Form 33, a mediation is required by state law. \u00a0However, if an agreement or settlement is reached by all parties before the mediation, the mediation is not necessary. Sometimes, the parties agree to an informal mediation between themselves.<\/p>\n

The purpose of the mediation is for the parties to come together, with the assistance of an approved mediator, and try to settle the matter without the cost and expense of a formal hearing in front of a deputy commissioner, who is similar to a judge.<\/p>\n

The mediation is usually in one of the attorney\u2019s offices. Unless waived by the parties, all interested persons must attend the mediation.\u00a0 The mediation is usually held in the county where the injury occurred. The mediator\u2019s responsibility is to try to assist the parties to come to a compromised agreement between themselves that would \u201csettle\u201d the case. The mediator is usually an attorney with years of experience mediating cases. The mediator is an unbiased attorney who works for neither side and has no stake in the outcome of the case.\u00a0 The mediator is usually paid on an hourly basis.\u00a0 Currently the hourly rate for a mediator is usually $125-350 per hour.<\/p>\n

One main purpose of the mediation is to determine through mediation what final settlement amount (known as a \u201cclincher<\/a>\u201d) is to be paid to the injured worker as a full and final settlement of the claim.\u00a0 The clincher is usually the goal of both parties. The mediation\u2019s main purpose is to determine what that clincher dollar amount will be.
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[av_heading heading=’What Happens At The Mediation?’ tag=’h2′ style=” size=” subheading_active=” subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][\/av_heading]<\/p>\n

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\nThe mediation usually begins with the mediator bringing the injured worker, their attorney, and the employer\/insurance company and their attorney into a room to discuss the merits of each party\u2019s claim.\u00a0 The attorney for the injured worker gives a small presentation about the injury and the medical cost, etc. Usually if the employer\u2019s insurance company has accepted the injured worker\u2019s claim, the exact medical cost and disability rating is an accepted fact by all parties.\u00a0 Usually the medical cost has already been paid by the employer\u2019s insurance company.<\/p>\n

Next, the employer\u2019s attorney will make a small statement about the injuries to the worker. The \u201ccompensation rate\u201d of the employee is usually agreed to by the parties.<\/p>\n

The mediator will divide the parties into separate rooms.\u00a0 The mediator will go into each room and discuss the merits and weaknesses of each party\u2019s case. Usually the injured worker will make the first initial dollar amount offer to \u201cclinch\u201d or settle the case. The mediator will usually take this offer to the employer\/insurance company for consideration.\u00a0 This amount is usually more that the employer is willing to pay.\u00a0 The employer will counter with a lower offer. The mediator will present this offer to the injured worker.\u00a0 No surprise, this amount is usually lower than the injured worker is willing to accept.\u00a0 The mediator goes back and forth between the parties, adjusting the dollar amounts each party is willing to accept.\u00a0 This may take several hours or several days.
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\nHopefully, each party will finally agree to a mutual dollar amount, somewhere in the middle, that each party can accept. It is normal for both parties to feel they have been treated unfairly and are paying too much or not being paid enough. The goal of mediation is to settle the matter.\u00a0 Neither party will walk away completely happy, but both parties are usually concerned that if they do not settle the case during mediation, then they may do far worse at a hearing.\u00a0 As the old saying goes, \u201ca bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most mediations end with a clincher.\u00a0 In the event the parties cannot come to a settlement at mediation, the mediator will declare an \u201cimpasse.\u201d\u00a0 At this time, unless the parties can come to a settlement later, a hearing will be scheduled before a deputy commissioner.\u00a0 This is similar to a court trial. The deputy commissioner will make a decision on the merits of the case.
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In North Carolina, if a party to a workers\u2019 compensation case, such as an injured worker or an employer\/insurance company, has requested a hearing in front of the North Carolina Industrial Commission by filing a Form 33, a mediation is required by state law. However, if an agreement or settlement is reached by all parties before the mediation, the mediation is not necessary. Sometimes, the parties agree to an informal mediation between themselves.<\/p>\n

The purpose of the mediation is for the parties to come together, with the assistance of an approved mediator, and try to settle the matter without the cost and expense of a formal hearing in front of a deputy commissioner, who is similar to a judge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,30,53,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","hentry","category-duncan-law-blog","category-video","category-workers-compensation-video","category-workers-compensation","post_format-post-format-video"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Should I Expect at a Workers' Compensation Mediation?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duncanlawonline.com\/staging\/8350\/what-to-expect-at-a-workers-compensation-mediation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Should I Expect at a Workers' Compensation Mediation?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In North Carolina, if a party to a workers\u2019 compensation case, such as an injured worker or an employer\/insurance company, has requested a hearing in front of the North Carolina Industrial Commission by filing a Form 33, a mediation is required by state law. 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