When I talk to elected officials, legislators, regulators and the media, one of the things that impresses them about PCOC is the fact that we have 19 districts throughout the state. That each district meets either monthly or every other month and that our members come to these meetings to network and discuss issues. The fact that PCOC members attend district meetings, come together to break bread, after competing with one another during the day, is truly inspiring.

The foundations of PCOC were built, more than 75 years ago, on the camaraderie that exists between fellow members of our profession. Remember, pest control professionals came together and helped form a state regulating body that would regulate them – the Structural Pest Control Board. It just goes to show what can be done with a united group with a common goal. There is real power in grassroots.

Another example of this came a few weeks ago. As you know, PCOC is sponsoring the legislation, AB 1685, which will statutorily create the authority for electronic testing. Once again, the industry came together to support this concept, even though it involves a fee increase. This is what legislators have a hard time understanding. All of the attendees to this year's Leg Day carried with them to the Capitol talking points on AB 1685. Normally, on something like this, there would be opposition from various sides of the political fence, both practical and philosophical.

Fast forward to the hearing of AB 1685 in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee a week after Leg Day. Our bill passed out of the committee 9-0...with no "No" votes! In fact, one of the legislators who was on the fence, commented at the hearing that he had been visited and educated by a group of pest control operators who had described why this legislation was necessary to the industry.

That is grassroots power in action. That is the work of protecting the pest control industry in California. That is what PCOC does.

The 2013-2014 Legislative Session of the California Legislature is in progress. Click here for PCOC's Legislative Agenda.

Welcome to a new section of Newsbriefs! Here, we will give news from our members: new hires, retirements, etc. If you have some news you would like to share, please send a short sentence or two to jenai@pcoc.org.

Click here for more details.

Determining permanent partial disability benefits is one of the most complex areas of workers' compensation claims management. Many permanent partial disability cases take years to resolve; in one study, a significant fraction of claims were not closed more than three years after the injury date.

A disability, unlike an impairment, represents the socioeconomic loss that an individual sustains as a result of an injury, illness or condition. A permanent impairment need not result in disability, and the same degree of impairment can result in a vastly different degree of disability for different individuals.

For example, a dock worker with a shoulder injury might never be able to return to work, while an accountant with precisely the same injury and the same degree of impairment may be able to return to work quickly with little or no impact on earnings. The injury to that worker would result in a much lower degree of disability. Disability evaluation can include medical assessment, but should also take account of the person's occupation and employment history, education and training, and other demographic and labor market variables.

Every state has different criteria for compensating permanent partial disability. Most states use a schedule—a list of body parts covered and the benefits paid for specific losses, such as the loss of a finger. These losses include the upper and lower extremities and may also include an eye. Most state schedules also include the loss of hearing in one or both ears.

Most states typically do not schedule permanently disabling injuries to the spine, because these injuries can vary so much in severity. Nor do they schedule injuries to internal organs or head, or occupational diseases.

In 2005, California changed the way it rates permanent disability injuries. If the 2005 rating schedule applies to an injury, the treating physician must rate the impairment using guidelines published by the American Medical Association (AMA). A worker with a permanent partial disability become eligible to receive the total amount of PD benefits spread over a fixed number of weeks. Those with a permanent total disability can receive PD payments for the rest of their lives.

Lump-Sum Settlements

Where possible, insurers prefer to close permanent disability claims with a lump settlement rather than deal with the uncertainty of the outcome and final cost of a claim. All but eight states allow insurers to close out indemnity (lost time) benefits with a lump-sum payment; a dozen jurisdictions do not permit them to close the medical benefits portion of a worker's claim.

Many workers also prefer to take their benefits in a lump sum and put the compensation process behind them, even if some of the benefit is paid at a discounted rate. Perhaps more significantly, many jurisdictions allow attorneys to work on contingency, taking a percentage of their client's lump-sum payment. Attorneys can collect their fees more promptly and easily if they come directly from a lump sum paid to the worker.

We can help you evaluate open permanent partial disability cases and work for a resolution. For more information, please contact the PCOC Insurance Program department of The Leavitt Group at (877) 860-7378 or, email us @ProPest@Leavitt.com.

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For an additional charge, you may access a 24-hour hotline providing consultation by qualified medical doctors on pesticide-related medical emergencies. This service is provided free of charge to Peacock Group insureds.