Law Office of Cleveland & Metz

12/15/2023

We wish you aMerry Christmas and Happy New Year!

04/29/2021

Many injured workers who cannot return to their employment often times apply for unemployment insurance benefits. I received many questions about whether these benefits are taxable, whether stimulus payments are taxable and other issues. If you been injured at work, contact us for a free consultation and to determine if your EDD benefits, whether it be state disability insurance or unemployment insurance affect your Worker’s Compensation case. Many times these benefits overlap in some way with your Worker’s Compensation case if you’ve been injured at work presently or in the past and are contemplating filing for a workers compensation claim.

Are Unemployment Insurance Benefits Taxed by States and the Federal Government?
Yes. Unemployment insurance benefits are subject to both federal and state taxes. Before 2021, unemployment benefits counted toward your income and were taxed at rates according to the IRS’s tax brackets. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (which most people call the stimulus bill) exempted some of that money from federal income taxes for tax year 2020. In California, unemployment benefits are exempt from state tax.

Facts for unemployment insurance benefits and Worker's Compensation for Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga and Inland Empire injured workers Many injured workers who cannot return to their employment often times apply for unemployment insurance benefits. I received many questions about whether these benefits...

01/27/2021

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12/14/2020

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Law Offices of Cleveland Metz!

12/14/2020

Latest news and upcoming events View as Webpage Fighting for Their Lives As if the backbreaking work performed by farmworkers isn’t already detrimental to their health, a new study shows the devastati

11/30/2020

On October 29, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) released a new report confirming what CAAA has been saying all along: delays in medical care result in significantly higher costs.The study’s key findings showed soft tissue injury claims that had a month delay before receiving the first medical service had, on average, significantly higher indemnity and medical costs than similar claims without medical care delays. These cost differentials were shown to persist for years after the injury. Furthermore, soft tissue claims with delayed care were more likely to stay open longer, have a longer duration of temporary disability and involve permanent disability. The study also showed that low back injury claims have the longest delays in the system, with medical costs 253% above the average, and temporary disability duration six times above the average. The long-term cost implications of delayed medical care were similar for claims with many of the leading medical diagnoses in the workers’ compensation system, such as low back pain, dislocation and sprain and fracture. Access to medical treatment for injured workers has been under attack for years in California, with hurdles such as utilization review, independent medical review, MPNs, and restrictive treatment guidelines being thrown up as road blocks and causing serious delays.

11/23/2020

Heading into the holiday season during these challenging times, we want to show appreciation and give thanks to the millions of frontline workers and essential employees keeping our state and country moving forward.

We’re thankful for all of our first responders and healthcare workers who continue to put their lives on the line as they battle on the frontlines of a resurging coronavirus.

These heroes – the nurses, firefighters, doctors, police officers, paramedics and others we consider to be first responders – have been the first line of defense against this new threat, often being separated from their families for long periods of time to keep them safe while protecting the greater population. Their sacrifices will not go unnoticed. We’re thankful for the bank tellers, restaurant workers, plumbers, HVAC technicians, delivery drivers and many others who have to interact with customers every day to provide crucial services while risking greater exposure to the virus.

And we’re thankful for our public servants – the teachers, bus drivers, postal workers, poll workers, social workers, mental health therapists and so many others – working to help others and instill a sense of normalcy in our daily lives.

Essentially, we’re thankful for all essential workers and any person who continues to do their job in the face of adversity while carrying us through the pandemic. For you we are thankful, and we wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving

10/27/2020

One of the scariest things this Halloween season isn’t a ghost, ghoul or goblin; it’s the prospect that Proposition 22 may become law. Get the full story on why this is such a scary proposition in this week's : https://conta.cc/34vEYlf

10/01/2020

In a major win for worker safety, Cal/OSHA has recently stepped up efforts to protect workers’ from COVID-19 by moving forward on an emergency temporary standard while also citing employers who have failed to instill various safety measures to protect employees. On September 17, Cal/OSHA’s Occup...

09/27/2020

If AB 3216 passes, anyone who lost their jobs at hotels, airports and private clubs during this pandemic and any future 'state of emergency' can get their position back based on seniority — assuming their place of employment survives.

09/22/2020

Businesses will gain a simpler framework for classifying workers as independent contractors under a high-stakes regulatory proposal the Labor Department released, representing the Trump administration’s response to blue-state efforts to expand the scope of employee status. The proposal seeks to offer businesses clarity on a contested area of employment law and hence protection from a wave of worker lawsuits that have accused companies in the gig economy and in multiple other industries of shorting workers on pay by improperly designating them as contractors.

Businesses will gain a simpler framework for classifying workers as independent contractors under a high-stakes regulatory proposal the Labor Department released, representing the Trump administration’s response to blue-state efforts to expand the scope of employee status.

09/21/2020

The latest news from CAAA View as Webpage A Better Future National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated September 15 through October 15 each year, commemorating the rich culture, heritage and countle