Newsletters

Dual-Purpose Travel by Employee

"Dual-purpose" travel by an employee occurs when the employee embarks on a trip on behalf of the employer that coincides with travel for the employee's benefit. In other words, the journey serves both the business purpose of the employer and the personal purpose of the employee. Characterization of the trip as business, personal, or both does not have to be made at the outset of the trip. A trip can start out as purely personal but then transform into a business endeavor.

Judicial Review of Social Security Administration Action

Aggrieved parties may seek judicial review of final Social Security Administration (SSA) decisions by filing a civil action in federal court. Generally, aggrieved parties must first exhaust their administrative remedies prior to initiating an action for judicial review. In juxtaposition to the administrative exhaustion rule, aggrieved parties may file a mandamus action to compel the performance of a duty owed by the SSA. The appropriateness of mandamus relief is based on considerations of 1) whether the party has any other adequate way to obtain the necessary relief, 2) whether the SSA has a clear duty to act as requested, and 3) whether the party is entitled to have the SSA so act.

Injury by Exposure and "Arising Out of the Employment"

Workers' compensation for injuries resulting from exposure to the elements is not forestalled merely because a natural event was at the root of the injuries. Exposure injuries, such as heatstroke, freezing, frostbite, and pneumonia, may be compensable if the nature of the employee's work increased the level of exposure over that of other members of the public. Some jurisdictions allow compensation if the risk of exposure to the employee was caused by his employment. In other words, regardless of whether the general public would or would not suffer the same exposure, it was the employee's work that precipitated or caused the exposure.

"Severe Impairment" for Social Security Disability Determination

In order to recover social security disability benefits, an individual's impairment must be so severe as to significantly limit his ability to work. If the impairment is found to be "not severe," the individual will not be considered "disabled." As established by medical evidence, an impairment constituting only a mild abnormality that has only a minimal effect on the individual's ability to work is not "severe." If an individual suffers from more than one impairment, the impact of the combination of the impairments will be evaluated rather than each impairment independent of the other.

Employer's Transportation of Employee

When an employer transports the employee to and from his place of work, the journey is considered to be in the course of employment. Therefore, if the employee is injured during the journey, his injuries should be covered by workers' compensation. The reason that compensation is allowed in this circumstance is that the employer's control over the transportation concomitantly extends the employer's control over the employee.