On January 22, 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed new regulations that would require child car seats, for the first time, to protect children from death and injury in side-impact crashes. Today’s passenger vehicles have eight air bags designed to protect adults, but until recently nothing has been done to protect children…
Faced with a state budget deficit and 400,000 new patients projected to enroll in expanded Medicaid in Oregon by 2022, Oregon Governor Kitzhaber arranged a deal with the Obama Administration for $1.9 billion in federal funding over five years, with the requirement that Oregon’s expanded Medicaid program expenditures must grow at a rate that is…
In January 2014, the public comment period ended on a proposed law that would put so-called black boxes, called Event Data Recorders (EDR) in every new car sold by September 1, 2014, devices which have already been installed in 96% of new cars, unknown to car owners. Current regulations require that the presence of the…
A ban on truck driver cell phone use while driving took effect January, 2012, with stiff penalties for violation. Commercial Motor Vehicle interstate truck drivers and intrastate hazmat truck drivers are prohibited from holding, dialing, or reaching for a hand-held cell, although they may use hands-free devices. The rule permits truck and bus drivers to…
Oregon is one of twenty-five states and Washington D.C. that are expanding Medicaid in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act, to include those who are at or below 138% of the federal poverty level ($15,856 for a household of one and $32,499 for a household of four). This is good news for 45% of Oregon…
Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) urge travelers to “Know before You Go” by monitoring media reports for weather forecasts and keeping up-to-date on road conditions at www.TripCheck.com. In just one day in December, OSP reported that freezing rain and icy road conditions had contributed to several crashes north of Crater Lake…
When a worker is injured, everyone has an agenda: the employer needs the injured worker back on the job at full capacity, the insurance company wants to limit the amount of payout for care and rehabilitation, and the physician wants the worker to return to work only when fully recovered or at maximum medical improvement….
The Oregon Department of Traffic (ODOT) reminds bicyclists to always ride with traffic. Drivers pulling into traffic often look only in the direction that cars are coming. If you are coming from the other direction, they may not see you until they are on top of you. Right Hook It might seem counter-intuitive to a…
Getting disability benefits for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is difficult but not impossible. To qualify for benefits, a child must have all three symptoms of ADHD: severe inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity, that causes limiting “conditions resulting from ADHD.” ADHD Qualifiers There are two sets of conditions to qualify for benefits, one for children under…
Rotational Acceleration Causes Concussions Football helmets today are designed to withstand linear acceleration so they’re good at protecting the skull from fractures and to some degree lessening the jarring of the brain inside the skull. However, according to latest research, most concussions that cause traumatic brain injury are more the result of “rotational acceleration”- a…