By Posted on Posted in PDRater, Website Updates No Comments Tagged with , ,

And, actually, upgrading to WordPress 2.6 was pretty easy. It’s supposed to be very similar to WordPress 2.5 so users of this site shouldn’t really notice a change. I like to keep my programs updated to take advantage of additional features. Additionally, most updates/upgrades install additional security measures.

I was concerned about the various plugins I’ve installed in this website and how they might interact with the new version. Some of them control how the site looks and others control how the site acts. They look fine so far . . . . If you notice something on the site which looks or acts weird, please let me know so that I can fix it immediately.

By Posted on Posted in Author, Open Source, PDRater, Technobabble, Website Updates No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Hopefully I’ll be upgrading this website again in the next few days.

This website was created using the WordPress open source blog software. WordPress is a flexible program for creating websites and blogs. Since this program is “open source“, its source code is open for anyone to review and can be modified by anyone (sufficiently nerdy ((Such as myself.)) ).

The earliest test versions of the blog-website version of PDRater.com were built using WordPress 2.3. This was superseded by version 2.5 in late March. Version 2.6 was just released. I will be upgrading to the latest version as soon a I get a chance. If all goes well, you’ll never notice a thing.

As a side note, upgrading my installation of WordPress is a lesser priority than redeveloping the calculators.

By Posted on Posted in PDRater, Website Updates No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Lately I’ve been working on cleaning up all of the calculators and making them easier to use. You can see the latest version here. Hopefully in the very near future these “updated” calculators will replace the ones currently available on this site. I’m retooling these calculators because the current calculators were built specifically for the old site. This also gives me a good excuse to implement some of the improvements I’ve been kicking around.

  • Improved graphical user interface. I find this new layout more intuitive. Let me know what you think about it.
  • More calculators. I have a working retroactive benefits calculator that can be plugged right into the new calculators. Got an idea for a new calculator? Drop me a line and let me know!
  • Help information. The current calculators don’t offer a lot of help information – except when you try to do something wrong. I’ve designed these new ones to give a lot more feedback.
  • Quicker load times. The current calculator page takes about a full second to load up. That’s too long!

My arbitrary self-imposed target date to get the new calculators working is July 23, 2008 – the one year birthday of this website. I’ll have to find some screenshots of the original site for you to snicker at. It was pretty ugly.

By Posted on Posted in Downloads, Links, PDRater, Website Updates 2 Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

More updates!

Now there are two links to the CCR’s. Its easier to search by code section through the DIR website, BUT its easier to search for a particular phrase through the Westlaw link. FYI: You don’t need a Westlaw account to use this service!

Have you seen the draft proposed 2009? Download it and take a look! Setting aside the issues of whether it will result in PD increases or decreases, there are some interesting changes from the 2005 schedule. This draft propsed 2009 schedule changes how age modifies a rating and completely revamps the FEC rank system. For more information, check out the DWC Newsline.

Are you fascinated by Benefits Notice Manuals? You’re in luck! Revised April 9, 2008.

What other downloads and links are you interested in? Drop a comment below or shoot me an e-mail.

By Posted on Posted in Links, PDRater, Website Updates No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

After watching a friend try to navigate the original link system, I’ve updated the links section. (Sorry, Steve!) These are the links I’ve found helpful. Links to WCAB/DEU forms, the Labor Code, the Board Rules, insurance and workers’ compensation blogs and news websites, links to every MPN I could find, and a whole lot more.

Links sections:

  • Workers’ Compensation Resource Links
  • Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board
  • Workers’ Compensation & Insurance News
  • Workers’ Compensation Blog
  • Workers’ Compensation Associations
  • Medical Provider Network Links
  • Physician Search Links
  • Attorney Search Links

Do you have a website related to workers’ compensation? How about a link you think other people might find useful? Post a comment and let me know.