America’s 10 Most Dangerous Occupations and How Work-Related Fatalities are Treated by the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation System
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics December 16, 2016, Economic News Release, there were a total of 4,836 recorded work injuries that resulted in death in 2015, which amounted to an overall rate of fatalities of 3.38 per 100,000 full-time workers. While there are multiple contributing factors, like workers’ age, training and experience, based on the government statistics, your chances of getting killed on the job are much higher if you work in the following occupations: 1. Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations – 25.3 (deaths per 100,000 workers) 2. Supervisors of construction and extraction workers – 16.1 3.... Read More
Your Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
What happens when my doctor takes me off work or puts me on restrictions because of my work injury? The answer depends on your line of work and how bad your work injury is. When you get hurt, your doctor may decide that you should take some time off work or limit your work activities. For example, if you pull a muscle in your back or injure your shoulder, and your job requires you to do heavy lifting or use your arms a lot, your doctor will write a Report of Workability that will either order you to stay off... Read More
New Minnesota Estate Planning Legislation
The Minnesota legislature recently enacted legislation that impacts estate planning. Two of the more interesting new laws include: A prohibition of using the location of a taxpayer’s attorney in determining the residency of a tax payer and The tax bill raises Minnesota’s estate tax exemption to $2.1 million for 2017 (retroactive to January 1) and an additional $300,000 each year until it hits $3 million in 2010. Unfortunately, one proposal we closely watched failed to make the cut: Allowing married farm couples to retain agricultural homestead status despite splinting their property into two trusts. If you have questions about this... Read More
Farrish Johnson Instrumental In Federal Court Immigration Case
Farrish Johnson attorney Will Partridge acted as pro bono counsel in a lawsuit filed in federal court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. The lawsuit challenged Nobles County’s practice of holding undocumented persons pursuant to detainers placed on them by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) past the time they should have been released from State custody. In this case the plaintiff’s wife attempted to post bail on her husband’s relatively minor criminal charge. Nobles County refused to accept bail because her husband was subject to an ICE detainer. As a result, the lawsuit claimed that the plaintiff had... Read More
How Workers’ Compensation Claims Start
After injury or sickness has occurred on the job, it is the employee’s responsibility to start the workers’ compensation process and the first step is reporting the event or incident to the employer. Reporting the injury to your employer is an important part of the process. It is called “giving a notice” to the employer. There are many ways to notify the employer about the injury. It could be as simple as telling the supervisor or manager about what happened, or giving a doctor’s note to the superiors or human resources, or any other way that conveys the message that... Read More
Update! Revocable Trust Reporting
In March, Farrish Johnson Law Office let you know about pending Minnesota legislation regarding revocable trust reporting to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (find the article here). Now, Governor Dayton recently signed legislation providing that the trustee of a revocable trust with respect to which either the settlor, the settlor’s spouse, or both, are the primary beneficiaries during the settlor’s lifetime shall not be required to file with the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture a corporate farm application seeking approval to allow the trust to hold agricultural real estate during any period that the trust is revocable. This legislation... Read More
Join Farrish Johnson at the Mankato 50+ Lifestyle Expo
Attorneys and staff from Farrish Johnson Law Office will be at the Mankato 50+ Lifestyle Expo tomorrow, Tuesday, May 9 from 9am to 2pm at the Verizon Event Center. Paul Moosbrugger and Steve Fink will be available to answer your questions about estate planning, trusts, wills, probate, tax law, heath care directives, power of attorney and more. Farrish Johnson Law Office offers a comprehensive range of legal services and we look forward to see you at this exciting event!
Law Day 2017
May 1, 2017 is Law Day in the United States, a day to reflect on the role of law in the creation of this county and to recognize its importance for society. Law Day was established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a “day of national dedication to the principle of government under law.” In 1961 Congress, by joint resolution, designated May 1 as the official day for celebrating Law Day. Each year Law Day follows a theme to highlight which affects the legal process. The American Bar Association has selected the theme for Law Day 2017 as... Read More
Federal Real ID Laws in Minnesota
Minnesota is one of the last states out of compliance with the Federal Real ID Law which sets minimum security standards for state issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. The deadline to come into compliance is early 2018. If Minnesota fails to come into compliance, Minnesotans risk losing access to commercial aircrafts and to federal and military facilities. While there are issues of privacy, the primary issue in the legislature appears to be the requirement to prove citizenship. Republicans generally oppose providing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. Democrats argue having to prove citizenship would prevent undocumented immigrants from getting even... Read More
No-Fault Automobile Insurance
Automobile insurance can protect you from financial cost of an accident or an injury. No-fault automobile insurance is governed by state statute and requires the owner of every vehicle licensed in the state of Minnesota to provide insurance. Who is Covered? You are covered by the policy in your name. Any relative living in your home that does not have a policy in his or her name is covered by your policy. This includes a spouse, children or minor in your custody. A driver using your car with permission who is not covered by another policy will be covered by... Read More