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Workers’ COMPanion
LAW OFFICE MONAST
FEBRUARY 2019
www.monastlaw.com | 614-334-4649 | 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Bldg 2, Suite 2117, Upper Arlington, OH 43220-2913
OLD STRUGGLES AND NEW BEGINNINGS MY FAMILY LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
A Monast family gathering
Despite all the chipper snapshots we’re spoon-fed over social media day after day, we all know life isn’t always easy. I know it, my clients know it, and our families know it, too. So when doing my best to steer my kids through the troubled waters of the future, the goal has never been to eliminate hardship. That’s impossible, and even if it weren’t, it would take away so many vital lessons that make life worth living and keep us honest and empathetic. The hope isn’t that they’ll come up against obstacles in their life, but that they’ll have the tools to deal with them and learn from them when those obstacles come. All we can hope for as parents is that our kids will end up strong, fulfilled, and hopefully smarter than ourselves at their age. With all that in mind, it’s gratifying to see my kids enjoying some measure of success. Back in February 2017, I wrote this cover about my son Garrett and his studies in engineering, my stepdaughter’s then-newborn son Oliver, and all the plans the Monast clan were laying back then. It’s funny that upon reflection in 2019, so many plans are coming to fruition. First, there was my son Pete and his wife Carlie’s wedding back in late November. Two years ago, Pete was a freshman at OSU Newark. Later that year, he switched schools and began studying for his ministry degree through Ohio Christian University. Today, he and Carlie are worship and youth leaders at their church, singing for over 16 services leading up to Christmas. My stepson Jackson graduated end of summer and started an internship in January with his alma mater, Ohio State, working with the strength and conditioning coaches across all sports and will do football in the second half of the year. He also got engaged just before Christmas to his fiancée Britney. They’re busy planning their wedding and taking care of their own “baby,” their new beast of a dog, a Cane Corso.
background and keen technical skills. He and his wife just moved out to Fairfax,
Virginia, which is ideal for me since I find myself out there pretty regularly nowadays for legal conferences.
My son Max, still figuring out what he wants to do when he grows up, is now working two jobs while also writing and doing podcasts for an online gaming site. It’s all good experience.
Finally, my stepdaughter Whitney and her husband Robby are expecting their second child. My grandson Oliver’s going to meet his little brother sometime in March.
I’m sure many of my clients can understand the pride and nostalgia that comes with watching your children grow up and strike out on their own. My own kids have been through a lot, between the divorces of myself and my wife, deaths of friends and family, and the many other tough times we all have to weather as people. So it means a heck of a lot to celebrate their bright futures, confident they have tools to face life on life’s terms. I hope I help my clients to do the same with their own challenges. Every day, I work with people hurting, going through the terrifying process of securing their own futures in a crisis. They thought they’d found their footing but then had the rug pulled out from under them by injury due to no fault of their own. I would hope that, if my own kids were struck by such an impossible situation, they’d have folks looking out for them. That’s why I strive to be the best attorney I can be for the people I serve, to do all I can to guide them through the dark times and into a more secure situation where they can continue to provide for their own families without fear. We all know life isn’t always easy. The hope is that when things get tough, we can somehow help one another through it. For me, that’s true whether it’s my friends, my family, or anyone who walks through my office door.
Meanwhile, Garrett graduated in December and is starting an engineering job working for the government. It’s a perfect position for someone with his military
–Jim Monast
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Breaking Through the TV Terminology
4K, HDR, AND OLED DEFINED
When you shop for a new TV these days, you’re greeted with a bevy of acronyms and numbers —marketing terms you can’t make sense of. These are terms like 4K, HDR, and OLED, just to name a few. TV
Marketers decided to swap the vertical resolution as their reference point with the horizontal resolution, because higher numbers are more impressive, right? But 4K TVs seem to fall short of the moniker. Regardless, these TVs have improved color and image quality over standard HD, but you have to have devices — such as the PlayStation 4 Pro or a Blu-ray player — or services that output in 4K to take advantage of the boost in pixels. HDR High Dynamic Range, or HDR, is a type of image processing. When an image is processed, HDR is used to increase or decrease the luminosity of the image. It means bright whites, deeper blacks, and improved colors overall. It’s been used in photography for decades and in video since the 1990s. Most 4K TVs have built-in HDR processing, resulting in better color quality, which translates to better image quality overall. OLED Short for organic light-emitting diode, OLED TVs feature a microscopically thin layer of an organic compound that emits light when an electric current is introduced. Typical LED TVs rely on a backlight in order to produce a lit, visible image. These backlights take up space, resulting in a thicker TV. The major advantage of OLED TVs is they are incredibly thin and light, and they produce deeper blacks for an improved color and image quality.
makers leave it up to you to figure out what these terms mean. Well, look no further. We’re going to cut through the marketing speak and get to the point. Here’s what today’s popular TV marketing terms really mean. 4K The TV buzzword “4K”has replaced “HDTV”and “1080p”as the go-to marketing term. In short, it’s a reference to the number of pixels on the screen. Standard high-definition TVs (1080p) have a vertical resolution of 1,080 pixels and a horizontal resolution of 1,920. Here’s where it gets weird. 4K TVs have a vertical resolution of 2,160 pixels with a horizontal resolution of 3,840.
DIANE MORRIS Becoming a nurse is one of the most selfless acts a person can undertake. In a society of so many races, cultures, customs, and beliefs, nurses are a universal gift to all, and the dedicated work they do and kindness they deliver daily should serve as a reminder of the fundamental humanity inside us all. Our client Diane Morris is a delightful and resilient person with a servant’s heart. Many years ago, she dropped out of high school following her junior year (at age 15, so you know she’s whip-smart!) to pass her GED and enter nursing training. After becoming an LPN, she worked 35 years as a nurse and surgical tech at Dayton’s Osteopathic Hospital (known now as Grandview Medical Center). After an autoclave flooded, leaving a soapy water solution on the tile floor, she slipped and fell, injuring her back, tearing the medial meniscus in her left knee and the rotator cuff in her left shoulder. But, like the energizer bunny, she kept on going. As C.S. Lewis observed, “Hardships often prepare people for an extraordinary destiny.” Following her initial knee surgery soon after her fall, she returned to work — for 23 more years! She inspired her colleagues and patients by continuing to work through two more knee surgeries, two extensive shoulder surgeries, and chronic radiating back pain until her increasingly debilitating physical condition caused the hospital to medically
retire her at age 71 from the profession she loved. She led by example for others discouraged by their own injuries.
Granted permanent total disability by the Industrial Commission several years ago, Diane remains active with many hobbies such as painting, exercising, and reading. After last month’s newsletter, she even sent me more than half a dozen book recommendations! Thanks, Diane!
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A VITAL FORM IN THE CLAIMS PROCESS The Skinny on MEDCO-14
The key to a successful workers’ compensation application is, in part, to follow all the instructions and guidelines from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) and the Ohio Administrative Code. Submitting the required forms at the right time is an essential part of this process. But it can be confusing and overwhelming to try and suss out what you’re supposed to do and when. Two forms to remember are Form C-84 and MEDCO-14. When you apply for workers’ comp the first time, you must submit Form C-84 as proof of temporary total disability. Along with that, your physician must fill out the MEDCO-14 form to verify your inability to work. Each time you apply to extend your benefits for ongoing total disability, you have to submit a new C-84 and your doctor has to provide a new MEDCO-14 form.
•
Describe the work-related conditions that
prohibit the employee from performing job duties, including supporting evidence and reasons for the delay in improvement.
• Determine if the worker has reached maximum medical improvement (MMI) and, if not, provide a treatment plan for getting them to MMI.
• Indicate whether the patient is a candidate for vocational rehabilitation services or, if not, recommend how to help the patient return to work.
On this form, your doctor will:
• Indicate whether there are charges to the worker’s health since the last form was submitted.
While it’s your doctor’s responsibility — not yours — to accurately complete this form, you have a lot riding on it. And sometimes, things go wrong. Deadlines are missed, forms get mixed up, or claims are rejected due to other factors. That’s why you should never deal with the BWC or your self-insured employer’s third-party administrator alone. If you know you’ll be out of work for a long time as you recover, contact Jim Monast at 614-515-2595. He’ll help you navigate the system and get the time, medical care, and lost wages you need to get back on your feet.
• Review a description of the injured worker’s job duties at the time of injury.
• Verify the individual has restrictions which prevent them from performing those job duties.
SUDOKU
ABBY’S APPETIZERS
VALENTINE’S DAY COOKIE CARDS
Inspired by Food & Wine magazine.
INGREDIENTS
• • • •
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• • •
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Royal icing, sprinkles, and edible markers, for decorating
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
DIRECTIONS
1.
Heat oven to 375 F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour with sugar and salt. Add butter and combine using a mixer at low speed until butter breaks down into small, crumbly pieces. Increase mixing speed to medium and beat until butter and flour clump. 3. Add egg yolks and vanilla extract to bowl, return mixer to low, and mix until dough congeals. 4. Carefully roll dough into a sheet 1/16-inch thick and cut into 4x6-inch cards. 5. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, bake cookie cards for 6 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. 6. Let cookies cool completely, decorate, and distribute.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Phone: 614-334-4649 www.monastlaw.com 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Bldg 2, Suite 2117 Upper Arlington, OH 43220-2913
LAW OFFICE MONAST
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Jim Monast Looks to the Future of his Family INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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3 Terms You Need to Know Before Buying a New TV
Client Stories: Diane Morris
MEDCO-14: A Form You Need to Know
Valentine’s Day Cookie Cards
How Mr. Rogers Saved PBS
HOW MR . ROGERS SAVED PBS Speak From the Heart
It’s May 1, 1969. People have gathered in the Senate Subcommittee on Communications in D.C. to fight for what they believe is critical to the American public. Proposed budget cuts to Public
From his work in child development, Rogers has come to empathize with and understand the worries and fears of children. He explains to Senator Pastore that he’s created a show for children, saying,“I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health.”He doesn’t speak from the piece of paper in front of him; he speaks from his heart.
Broadcasting Services (PBS) threaten the programs that have become dear to so many. $20 million is on the line. For a public television station, this is everything.
Rogers shares with Pastore what he tells viewers at the end of each episode:“You’ve made this day a special day just by being you.”
Over the course of two days, Senator John Pastore, chairperson of the subcommittee, has listened to speech after speech about why PBS should be awarded the funding. He’s tired of hearing the same bland data and is eager to have the ordeal over with.
“I’d like to see this program,”Pastore says. Five minutes into the speech, he is transformed, just like anyone who’s seen Rogers’show. How has Rogers swayed the senator? He hasn’t waved a magic wand or given a dramatic performance, but Rogers’passion is so palpable, even Senator Pastore can’t help being won over.
Then Fred Rogers, host of the newly syndicated series “Mister Rogers’Neighborhood,” steps up to the microphone.
Unlike his fellow speakers, Mr. Rogers doesn’t use numbers or research to persuade Senator Pastore. In the calm voice many of us associate with our childhoods, Fred Rogers shares with Senator Pastore the reasons why he’s concerned about what children see on television. Two minutes after Rogers has begun talking, Pastore’s demeanor changes — his face softens, and he can tell Rogers has something important to say.
After Rogers shares the words of one the songs he features in“Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood,” Pastore has heard enough.
“I think it’s wonderful,”Pastore declares.“Looks like you just earned the $20 million.”
See Mr. Rogers’amazing testimony for yourself at Bit.ly/MrRogersTestimony.
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