Biography

Rey (Reinaldo) Alvarez is the Managing Partner for the Workers’ Compensation and Medicare Compliance Division of Luks, Santaniello. Martindale-Hubbell and his peers have rated him AV® Preeminent™. Rey also serves as the WC Committee Chair for the Florida Defense Lawyers Association (FDLA) and is a columnist for the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Workers' Compensation magazine. Rey has substantial WC experience defending employers, insurance carriers, tpa's, government entities and self-insureds throughout Florida. He also has more than a decade of experience in preparing Medicare Cost Projections, Medicare Set-Asides and Conditional Lien negotiations with CMS. Rey handles all firm wide conditional lien negotiations. Prior to working at Luks, Santaniello, Rey managed a Medicare Reporting and Set-Aside Department with his last firm.

Rey chairs the COVID workers’ compensation team. He specializes in handling F.S. 440.151 occupational diseases such as Coronavirus. Rey also handles cases involving Medicare and Medicaid liens when it comes to occupational diseases such as Coronavirus. Rey will help determine which employees are eligible and which are not, and if needed, litigate the case to trial. He will assist Employer/Carriers in navigating the return to work and claim issues. Rey further handles cases involving toxic tort and environmental related diseases including asbestos related cases.

Rey authored and published a book on the new Medicare Reporting and MSA requirements. He recently co-authored an article with Kelly Kesner, Esq. on "Battling the Opioid Epidemic" that was published in the Trial Advocate Quarterly (Summer 2018). He also co-authored with Dan Santaniello, a Medicare White Paper that was presented at the 15th Annual Florida Liability Claims Conference and was published in the FDLA issue of 'Trial Advocate Quarterly' (Volume 30, Number 4, Fall 2011). Rey also wrote an article on “Reducing the Cost of Funding a Medicare Set-Aside” that was published in the Florida Bar Workers' Compensation Section 'News & 440 Report' (Summer 2011). A.M. Best released an Insurance Law Podcast (2012) featuring Dan Santaniello and Rey Alvarez discussing Medicare Compliance issues.

In 2021, Rey is speaking at key industry conferences on Workers’ Compensation Claims Before and After COVID-19, Medicare Compliance and Medicare Secondary Payer Master class. Rey has spoken at the NAMSAP Regional Conference on WC MSA trends and impact, reporting and conditional liens. He was a featured speaker at a Medicare Lien boot camp sponsored by the National Business Institute. Rey has presented at the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians on WC Impairment Ratings and Impairment Benefits. He also spoke in an AM Best Insurance Law pod cast on the SMART Act.

Rey possesses substantial knowledge of the Social Security Disability law and has represented all types of Social Security Disability matters. He also writes a blog on current Workers' Compensation case law and important decisions. It can be viewed at http://floridaworkerscomp.blogspot. Rey works out of the Miami office and directs the assigned teams in Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, and Tallahassee.

Rey's recent articles include:

"Battling the Opioid Epidemic 'At first they were a lifeline. Now they are a noose around my neck.” The article was originally published in Trial Advocate Quarterly, Summer 2018, Volume 37, No. 3 and is reprinted here with permission from the Florida Defense Lawyers Associate.

"Adapting As AI Evolves. As artificial intelligence enters the workplace, employers and workers comp insurers must address some difficult questions." The article was originally published in Workers Compensation, Summer 2017 issue and is reprinted here with permission from the publication's Executive Editor.

"Everything You Wanted To Know About a Misrepresentation Defense In A Workers' Compensation Claim." The article was originally published in the Trial Advocate Quarterly, Spring 2017 and is reprinted here with Permission from the Florida Defense Lawyers Association.

"The Case Against a Cancer Presumption for Firefighters. Thousands of people outside of firefighting get the same cancers as firefighters, but firefighters are getting a presumption. Does statutory presumption go too far?" by Rey Alvarez, Esq.

"The Other Shoe Drops on States’ Attempts to Opt Out of the System" by Rey Alvarez, Esq.

"How Big Is the Gig? The sharing economy’s impact on workers’ compensation." by Rey Alvarez, Esq. and Seth Masson, Esq.

"How Employers/Carriers Can Prevent the “Double-Dip” by Rey Alvarez, Esq. and Daniel Feight, Esq. The article was originally published in the Trial Advocate Quarterly, Spring 2016 (volume 35, #2) and is reprinted here with Permission from the Florida Defense Lawyers Association.

Medicare White Paper by Daniel J. Santaniello, President FDLA and Reinaldo Alvarez, Member. This article was originally published in Trial Advocate Quarterly.

Read about Penalties and Fines that can be assessed for failure to comply with the Medicare Secondary Payer Act inside Legal Update (pp. 8-10). It is important to know how and when penalties can be assessed as they can add up quickly.

Practice Areas

Practice Areas

• COVID-19
• Environmental | Toxic Tort
• Medicare Solutions
• Workers' Compensation
• Medicare Set-Aside Allocation
• MSA for WC Cases
• MSA for Liability Claims

Experience

Martindale Rating

• AV® Preeminent^TM

Bar/Court Admission

• 2003, Florida.

Education

• Barry University, B.A., 1998.
• University of Miami School of Law, J.D., 2003.

Professional/Civil Memberships

• PRMIA - Professional Risk Managers' International Association.
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

Industries Represented

Languages

• Fluent in Spanish and English

Verdicts

Verdicts

Presentations

Presentations and Speaking Engagements

Publications

Articles