According to the World Health Organization, low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. With the prevalence of this condition, many people are living and working through their pain. However, you may reach the point where you are simply no longer able to continue working because of your condition, despite your best efforts. If you have a short- or long-term disability insurance policy through your employer, you might be wondering if your condition qualifies for benefits. Back
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Why Long Term Disability Insurers Require You to Apply for SSDI (And How It Affects You)
If you have been receiving long term disability (LTD) benefits, you have probably received a letter from your insurance company telling you to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, also known as SSDI. They may have offered to connect you with a service to help with this application.
You might be wondering why the insurer cares so much about whether you apply for SSDI. The short answer is that it usually saves the insurance company money. However, applying
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What to Expect at a Wisconsin Worker’s Compensation Hearing
Most worker’s compensation claims in Wisconsin are resolved without the need for a hearing. In many cases, the insurance company accepts the claim and simply pays the benefits that are owed. However, worker’s compensation cases often involve complex medical and legal questions, and the insurance company may take a different position about what benefits are owed. In some cases, the insurance company denies a claim but the parties are able to reach a settlement to resolve the case. If
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What is the Difference between FMLA and STD/LTD Leave?
Employees who need to take time off from work due to a medical condition often find themselves confused about the various types of leave available to them. With a whole array of different acronyms (FMLA, STD, LTD, PTO, LWOP, etc.) swirling around HR documents, approvals or denials from leave administrators, and seemingly contradictory communications from different sources, it’s very easy to feel totally overwhelmed and lost at a time when you are already experiencing some stressful health-related life event.
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Planning To Move Abroad? What To Know About Your Social Security Retirement Benefits
If you are investigating or planning a move out of the United States and its territories for your retirement, there are some important facts to know before you go. Below are some common questions regarding this situation, with answers and useful links to additional important information.
Note: the rules for those receiving Social Security Disability benefits, survivor benefits, and dependent benefits are very different and are not included in this blog post. Neither are the rules applicable to
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Wisconsin’s 120-Hour Rule, Survivorship Marital Property, and Blended Families
When families blend through second marriages, later-in-life relationships, or remarriage after divorce, estate planning becomes more complex, and more important. This is especially true when one or both spouses have children from prior relationships.
A recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals decision, Sterling L. North v. Estate of William James North II, 2024AP1908 (Wis. Ct. App. Dec. 30, 2025) shows how a lack of planning can result in an unintended division of property between the spouses’ children, particularly
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AI Made It. Now Who Owns It?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a part of the tools we use every day. AI can be found on our computers, our phones, our cars, and beyond. As AI systems grow more advanced, it becomes increasingly appealing to rely on them to generate content, ideas, and even finished works with little to no human input. But as AI takes on more of the creative process, a critical question emerges: what happens to the role of human authorship? When
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Conducting Effective Peer Review Investigations
Peer review investigations are a cornerstone of medical staff oversight. They protect patient safety, uphold professional standards and ensure compliance with federal law, state law and accreditation requirements. When concerns arise about a practitioner’s clinical competence or professional conduct, the process must be deliberate, fair and well-documented. Below are key considerations for conducting an effective investigation.
Key Points
Corrective Action vs. Routine Review
Corrective action is not routine review—it is a formal process triggered by concerns about clinical performance
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UN Sanctions on Iran’s Nuclear Program: Researching the Snapback Mechanism
With Iran’s nuclear sanctions in the news, Sunil Rao, Foreign and International Law Librarian at UW Law Library, has put together some helpful research sources covering the history, the sanctions framework, and the snapback mechanism now at the center of a dispute in the UN Security Council.
The Council recently held an open briefing on the work of the UN 1737 Sanctions Committee, established in 2006 to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities. Russia and China objected to the session, arguing
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Court of Appeals Reduces Preliminary Hearing to Mere Reading of Criminal Complaint
District 4 of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled ruled that in a preliminary hearing in a criminal case there is no requirement that any witness have firsthand knowledge of facts of the alleged crime; instead, a mere reading of the criminal complaint may suffice to bind a defendant over for trial if the complaint is thorough and detailed enough.
While the court said it would be “difficult to establish generally applicable rules,” it rubber-stamped a prosecution in Rock
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Meet the Candidates for Washburn County Circuit Court
Candidates Aaron Marcoux and Angeline Winton-Roe vie for the seat on the Washburn County Circuit Court currently held by Winton-Roe. The election is April 7.
Marcoux is the Washburn County district attorney, having been appointed by Gov. Tony Evers in 2019 and elected to four-year terms in 2020 and 2024. Before then he was an assistant district attorney, and before that an assistant state public defender. He graduated from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2010. A
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Tenth Circuit Affirms OSHA Authority to Cite Health Care Employers for Workplace Violence Incidents Under the General Duty Clause
The Tenth Circuit recently issued two companion decisions confirming the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) authority to cite employers for workplace violence hazards under the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)(1) (“General Duty Clause”). In both cases, the Tenth Circuit upheld OSHA’s enforcement actions and the citations issued in connection with workplace violence incidents in a psychiatric hospital.
Case Background
Both cases stem from OSHA’s investigation into a psychiatric hospital
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8 Tips to Excel in Commercial Law Practice
With experience comes lessons. Some of those lessons are learned because of stunning success, and others through epic failures. This list represents takeaways to date in navigating a career in commercial law, both in private practice and in-house. They are offered in a spirit of hope that they contribute to stunning success stories and avoidance of epic failures. James Wawrzyn, Marquette 2006, is a senior corporate attorney with Forest County Potawatomi, Milwaukee. Be curious and keep learning. In
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What to Do When Your Prior Authorization Is Denied—And When to Call a Lawyer
Across the country, lawmakers are increasingly scrutinizing a health insurance practice that frustrates patients and doctors alike: prior authorization. A recent report by NPR highlights how states are stepping in with new laws designed to curb delays, reduce denials, and hold insurers accountable. For patients, this shift could be the difference between getting timely care and facing dangerous delays. But even with these reforms, wrongful denials still happen—especially as insurers increasingly rely on automated systems and artificial intelligence.
This
Continue Reading What to Do When Your Prior Authorization Is Denied—And When to Call a Lawyer
What to Do When Your Prior Authorization Is Denied – and When to Call a Lawyer
Across the country, lawmakers are increasingly scrutinizing a health insurance practice that frustrates patients and doctors alike: prior authorization. A recent report by NPR highlights how states are stepping in with new laws designed to curb delays, reduce denials, and hold insurers accountable. For patients, this shift could be the difference between getting timely care and facing dangerous delays. But even with these reforms, wrongful denials still happen—especially as insurers increasingly rely on automated systems and artificial intelligence.
This
Continue Reading What to Do When Your Prior Authorization Is Denied – and When to Call a Lawyer