DWC Issues Warning about Bad-Faith Negotiations

By Greg Jones, Western Bureau ChiefThe California Division of Workers’ Compensation said it has received complaints that payers are refusing to negotiate liens without proof that the claimant has paid the filing or activation fee, a bad-faith practice that claimants say is more common than it should be.Provisions in Senate Bill 863 require lien claimants to pay a $150 fee on all liens filed after Jan. 1, 2013. The Division of Workers’ Compensation adopted temporary rules that require the fee to be paid at the same time a lien is filed.For liens filed prior to the start of the year,...