What is a Clincher Agreement in a Workers’ Compensation Case?

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In a North Carolina workers’ compensation case a “clincher agreement” is a compromised agreement or settlement between an injured employee or worker and an employer or their insurance company. When the worker and the employer’s insurance company agree on a settled amount the insurance company’s attorney will draft a clincher, or agreement, stating that the parties have reached a final resolution of the case.

Writing on White Paper with PenThe clincher agreement usually states the employee will receive a lump sum cash settlement in return for releasing all future liability against an employer. In order for a clincher to be allowed, it must be approved by the North Carolina Industrial Commission. A clincher must meet the requirements of Rule 502 of the North Carolina Industrial Commission and, if it does, the Industrial Commission will typically approve the clincher agreement. The main purpose of this approval by the Commission to make sure the employee is treated fairly.

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How are Medicare and Medicaid Liens Treated in an Injury Case?

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Doctor Looking at an X-Ray of a PatientThere are two types of financial medical payment assistance provided by the federal and state governments.  One is Medicare, which was enacted in 1965. Medicare is a federal agency that pays medical care for elderly (usually over the age of 65), the disabled and other limited classes of medical recipients.

In contrast, Medicaid is usually a state run, but federally sponsored, program that provides financial medical assistance to low income families or individuals.

Medicare and Medicaid usually pays for medical care in the event the injured person is eligible for Medicare or Medicaid assistance and is unable to pay their medical expenses.  Medicaid and Medicare are secondary payers and will pay only after private insurance has been exhausted.

In a medical malpractice case, both Medicare and Medicaid have a statutory lien on any recovery from a jury award or a settlement with the defendant in which Medicare or Medicaid has provided payment for the injured person’s medical care.

In other words, Medicare and Medicaid will be paid back any money they have spent to provide medical care to the injured person from the injured person. They will demand under federal and state law this money to be paid back from the settlement or jury award in the medical malpractice case.

Usually the attorney representing the injured person has the legal obligation to reimburse Medicare and Medicaid for any monies they have paid for the care of the injured person. If the attorney does not pay this amount from the settlement or jury award, the attorney is personally liable for the lien.

In conclusion, the law states Medicare and Medicaid must be reimbursed for any money they have provided for the care of an injured person in a medical malpractice case.

Can You Wipe Out A Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan in Bankruptcy?

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The short answer is, yes, a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan is considered a dischargeable debt.

New entrepreneurs or small business owners who are looking to revamp their business sometimes need an additional guarantor on a loan, due to certain factors, such as not having enough collateral.  A guarantor takes responsibility for the debt and promises that the loan will be paid back in full.  The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government funded entity that was created to encourage and support the success of small businesses.  The SBA can guarantee up to 85% of the loan, leaving 15-20% to the small business owner to provide evidence of collateral, in addition to proving there will be sufficient cash flow from the proposed business to make the necessary monthly payments.  The more risk involved with the success of the business, the smaller the percentage the SBA loan will be cover.  This is of course necessary just in case the loan goes into default.

Doing Bankruptcy Research on a White Laptop

An SBA loan has 5 different headings that owners may apply under: 7(a) loan, the 504 economic Development loan, microfinance loan, disaster recovery loan, and the special purpose loan.  A small business owner or a new entrepreneur may apply for a loan at a lending institution of their choosing.  From there, the lending institution may require the business to apply for one of the SBA loans in order to guarantee the loan.

When filing for bankruptcy, depending upon the type of bankruptcy you file, you may be required to include all of your debts (and you should probably list down all of your debts either way).  If you file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy you must list down the SBA loan as a personal debt, if you personally guaranteed the debt, which you almost always do. In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy you can choose to list the SBA loan and discharge the debt so they cannot collect from you personally if the business defaults on the loan. However, if you discharge the debt personally and the businesses defaults on the loan you probably will not be able to get a new SBA loan in the future if you try to restart your business.

Again, a loan from the Small Business Administration may be discharged in a personal bankruptcy. They may, however, still come after the business to try to collect on the debt if the business defauls on the loan and has assets.

Is the Information on My Bankruptcy Petition Private?

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For many, filing bankruptcy can be a very stressful, emotional and embarrassing time in your life.  Ask any bankruptcy attorney, and they will tell you this is a question they are asked quite often. Most people would prefer to not tell the world of their financial problems and keep the information in their bankruptcy private. However, bankruptcy is a public filing and is a matter of public record.

So what does public record mean?

Public record usually refers to any information that is filed and/or maintained by a government agency, such as a court house. When you file for bankruptcy, your case is assigned to a district of the United State Bankruptcy Court. Your bankruptcy then becomes Public Record and the information in your bankruptcy is made available to the public. However, certain information in your bankruptcy, such as social security numbers, loan numbers and other identifiers are kept private and cannot be accessed by the public. Federal Bankruptcy law requires that notice of your bankruptcy case must be sent to all your creditors. This includes every individual and business owed, as well as any co-signor(s) of loans.

The chances of your family, co-workers, friends and neighbors finding out you?ve filed bankruptcy are unlikely, unless you owe them money, they co-signed on a loan for you, or they specifically go looking for it. We are also asked all the time whether or not bankruptcy will appear in the local newspaper. The answer is, it depends where you live. Some local papers will run a list of people who have filed bankruptcy. However, if a paper is running a list of people who filed bankruptcy then the chances are the paper doesn’t have a high readership anyways.

It?s important to remember you are not alone facing financial hardships. You?re filing bankruptcy to take control of your financial situation!

Why Does the Means Test Look at My Gross Income Instead of Net Income?

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This is a question frequently asked by clients.  You do not have access to your gross income, since a great deal of it goes to pay federal and state taxes, health insurance, life insurance, long and short-term disability, 401(k), etc.  The net income or your take-home pay is what you have available to pay your house payment, utilities, food, clothing, gas, car payments, etc., so shouldn’t this be used to see if you qualify for bankruptcy?

Family Riding Bicycles Together

Unfortunately, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) decided to establish a process for determining whether a person qualified for bankruptcy, specifically a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.  BAPCPA decided it was prudent to conduct a “Means Test” for each potential bankruptcy filer.   As part of the Means Test, it was determined that gross income would be the fairest starting point for all bankruptcy filers.  Although two people may have the same gross income, their net income may vary considerably due to different payroll deductions.  In addition, median household income for each state is based on gross income, so this provided a consistent base for comparison.

So, why is your gross rather than net income considered in the means test used in bankruptcy?  BAPCPA requires it!

Can I Purchase a House While in a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?

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While in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you must get permission from the bankruptcy Trustee to incur any new debt. This includes a mortgage if you want to purchase a new house. When you are serious about buying a new home within a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you should let your bankruptcy lawyer know. They will get in contact with the Trustee for you and let him or her know that you would like permission to incur debt. They will file a motion with the court for this. Once the trustee makes a decision, the attorney will let you know.

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What is the Statute of Limitations for Debts in North Carolina?

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You might be wondering exactly what “statute of limitations” means. The statute of limitations is the time period a creditor can still sue you for debts. Creditors only have a certain duration of time they can attempt to collect a debt by suing you. If the creditor fails to successfully collect the debt or file a lawsuit before expiration of the statute of limitations, then the debt is no longer applicable for collection by a lawsuit against you.

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