Authored by attorney Megan B. Caramore The Miller Act requires that a contractor who is awarded a government construction contract worth $100,000 or more must furnish a payment bond. It also limits the potential claimants on the bond to persons who provide labor and materials directly to the prime contractor or persons with direct contractual… Read more »
In the absence of a reimbursement agreement with the medical provider, workers’ compensation carriers in Virginia are required to pay medical providers according to the prevailing community rate as provided by Va. Code Section 65.2-605 and Rule 14 of the Virginia Workers’ Comensation Commission Rule 14. In a dispute, the carrier bears the burden of… Read more »
Authored by attorney George M. Nicholos The Architecture Billings Index for February of 2013 indicates a continued strong pace in design activity in architectural firms and suggests an oncoming jump in nonresidential construction spending during the second half of this year. The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is a composite index derived from monthly report surveys… Read more »
Authored by attorney Anthony J. Mazzeo The euphoria you feel upon being notified by a contracting officer that your company has been awarded a federal contract on which you recently bid can quickly turn to dread if you discover that a mistake caused you to underbid the work. Being bound to a contract based on… Read more »
Authored by attorney James R. Harvey The 2013 Virginia General Assembly passed a new law further complicating Virginia’s mechanic’s lien laws. The bill, which passed with wide support in the House of Delegates and Senate amends Va. Code §43-3 to now prohibit liens by those without a valid Virginia contractor’s license. “A person who performs… Read more »
The 1984 Amendments to the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act made it clear that employees who exclusively perform “office clerical, secretarial, security, or data processing work” are not covered by the Act so long as they are covered by the applicable state workers’ compensation act. 33 U.S.C. §902(3)(A). In a recent case, Gelinas v…. Read more »
Authored by attorney Neil Lowenstein Landowners hire contractors to perform work for the landowner. Contractors then typically hire multiple subcontractors to perform various portions of that work. And, subcontractors then hire sub-subcontractors to perform various portions of their work. And, so on depending upon the nature of the particular project. Often the work being performed… Read more »
Jul 2012 , Vol. VI, No.1 Authored by Jennifer Eaton In March, OSHA issued a memorandum that discussed acceptable and unacceptable safety incentive programs. OSHA affirms that employers are not allowed to intentionally or unintentionally provide incentives to employees to not report injuries. OSHA identifies positive incentive programs that are allowed. These positive incentive programs… Read more »
Jul 2012 , Vol. VI, No.1 Authored by Jennifer Eaton At the beginning of this year, the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) prohibited service vehicle drivers from using hand-held devices while driving. The DOT defines a service vehicle as any commercial motor vehicle. Examples of service vehicles include buses, freight carriers, and carriers of hazardous… Read more »
On April 6, 2012, Governor McDonald signed HB 153, which excludes a person who suffers an injury on or after July 1, 2012 from coverage under the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act if there is jurisdiction under either the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act or the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. The full text of… Read more »
