Mark Kofalt, Author at Premier Insurance Services

10 Potential Causes of Employee COVID-19 Lawsuits

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:May 4, 2020
Post category:Business

The novel coronavirus that broke out in the winter has caused immeasurable suffering, both physical and economic. For employers struggling to stay in business, this is a fraught time where mistakes in managing their workforces could lead to employee lawsuits. Here are 10 potential trouble spots to watch for. Workplace safety - Businesses that still have employees working on-site run the risk that a single infected worker may send the virus ripping through the entire workforce. While workers' compensation laws may prevent employees from suing, their family members who become ill or suffer through a worker's illness face no such…

Will Your Policy Cover a Neighbor’s Lawsuit?

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:April 29, 2020
Post category:Personal/Family

Not all of your neighbors are neighborly and sometimes disagreements can arise, from your barking dog to perhaps painting your home a color that's not pleasing to some others living on your block. And while you may be able to settle most of these issues through discussions and action, sometimes those complaints can escalate to lawsuits. Before this happens, it is important to know what types of provisions a homeowner's policy offers for legal issues. Homeowner's insurance is really a package of protections. It covers damage to your own property, and it covers your liability, meaning legal responsibility, for injuries…

How to Open Shop and Bring Staff Back to Work

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:April 23, 2020
Post category:Business

If your business is preparing to open due to a relaxation of shelter-at-home orders, you should proceed with caution and make sure you have safeguards in place to protect your workers, as well as customers if they are entering your premises. How can you take that first step back to a semblance of normalcy? Here are some recommendations from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health and other sources that can apply to any municipality anywhere in the country. The advice mainly applies to establishments that will have customers, but most of the recommendations are relevant across a wide swath…

Reducing Your Risk When Driving at Night

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:April 20, 2020
Post category:Personal/Family

Driving at night is more dangerous, even though there is often less traffic than during daylight hours. In fact, nighttime crashes are three times more fatal than those that occur during the day, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There are a few reasons for these sad statistics: We don't see as well in the dark, which means that we often have less room and time to stop.The glare from streetlights can sometimes make it harder to see.There are more drunk drivers on the road at night.Drivers are more apt to be drowsy while driving. But sometimes…

CARES Act Boosts Unemployment Benefits for Laid-off, Furloughed Workers

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:April 16, 2020
Post category:Business

With the sudden eruption of economic calamity, and more than 247 million Americans under stay-at-home orders, some 3.1 million individuals filed for unemployment in the last week of March. To counter the blow to their income, Congress passed and President Trump signed the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which in part allocates around $250 billion in unemployment benefits for the workers who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. The CARES Act extends unemployment insurance benefits to workers who are not eligible for additional benefits at the state level, as long as they…

Turn Around Unhealthy Thinking and Habits About Money

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:April 13, 2020
Post category:Personal/Family

During the course of a lifetime, many of us pick up some unhealthy attitudes and thinking regarding money. These attitudes can come from our parents who may have taught us their fears about being poor, or living through tough times. Some can come from schoolteachers and pastors who may have even added a moral dimension to these fears by passing along quotes such as, "money is the root of all evil." And some of our attitudes are born from our personal experiences. Like the newly married man whose in-laws came to visit and he was so embarrassed at only having…

Filing Late and Other Ways to Have a Claim Rejected

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:April 6, 2020
Post category:Business

One of the biggest mistakes you can make if you incur damage to your business premises is to wait too long before filing the claim with your insurer. The owners of a hotel in Dallas learned this the hard way when a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the business had waited too long to file a claim with its insurer after suffering hail damage. The court ruled that because the hotel had waited more than 19 months to file the claim, it was impossible for the insurer to ascertain exactly when the damage had occurred. The hotel's property…

How to Stay Sane if You Are Isolating

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:April 2, 2020
Post category:Personal/Family

As more and more of us are being told to either self-isolate with our families or self-quarantine under doctor's orders, we are spending almost all of our time at home, inside. Some of us will get cabin fever, especially those who live alone. Thanks to technology though, you can do different things to keep up socially with your friends and family. And there are also many low-tech ways to beat the boredom and be social. You may want to consider the following: Virtual coffee chats and dinners Get together with friends you may have planned to meet for coffee, lunch…