Appeals Court Ruling Could Reopen Claims Determined by AMA 6th Edition, Lawyer Says

After years of legislation that tilted the playing field in favor of employers, the ground seems to have shifted back toward workers a bit in the state of Kansas. Claimants’ attorneys are now celebrating, and insurers are preparing to litigate or renegotiate claims they thought had been put to bed under the employer-friendly sixth edition of the American Medical Association’s Guide to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. The Kansas Court of Appeals’ ruling in Howard Johnson v. U.S. Food Service and American Zurich Insurance, handed down Friday, declared the use of t...