MerusCase Knowledge Base

What are some of the Ledger Reports I can have?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:24:00 +0000

The Reports sections is located in Tools > Reports.

1. A/R Expenses & Reports is ONLY items that are negative in the case, i.e., money owed the firm. There is no inclusion or consideration for whether or not a payment (check in hand) has been added to a case to balance these items out. So, if you ask a client for $10,000, it will appear here, regardless of whether any payment on that money has been recorded.

2. A/R Payments Received is the exact opposite, i.e., ONLY positive items in Case Ledger. So a check you logged for $10,000 shows up here without any consideration for whether or not the check was even invoiced for or any corresponding "charges" in the ledger.

3. Case Ledger Summary is the list of Cases and their balances. This report has a rollup of each ledger total (if there is one). If nothing is logged, he case is omitted from the list. If it is zero (because you've been paid, magine that), the case does show in the list.

How can I change the color of MerusCase?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:59:00 +0000

You can easily change the color of MerusCase by selecting your desired theme in Tools > Settings & Options > User Preferences > Theme

What is the Subpoenaed Records tab for?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:20:00 +0000

You can easily order records within the Subpoena Records tab. This interface connects with a record subpoena company and orders records based on what parties and types of records you choose.

How do I hide parties from showing up in the Party tab?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:57:00 +0000

You may want to hide parties from appearing in the Party tab of a case. This feature is especially useful when you'd like to order records from a party in a case when technically they are not an actual party on the case (i.e., the applicant was hurt 4 years ago and you want records from a hospital, but that hospital is not really a party on the case). You can now freely add that hospital to the case (so they pop up in the Subpoena Records tab) and hide them from sight in the Party tab.

Click Hide this Party to hide the party form the Party tab

Click to show the hidden party from this section

The hidden party will now show up here.

How do I use the Books and Invoicing section?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:13:00 +0000

Welcome to Books. MerusCase helps you keep track of invoices and receivables easier than ever. The following is an overview of how this feature works.

The life of an invoice begins as a ledger item with the Type set to one of the four invoice selections:

Billable Time
Deposition Fee
TD
Settlement Reached

Creating Ledger Items that can be Invoiced

There are three ways to create a Billable Time ledger item in MerusCase

When creating a New Activity while in a case. Click the Add Time Charges link
When composing a message. Click the Add Time Charges link.
Create a ledger item from the Ledger tab of the Case.

Once the Add Time Charges is clicked the time will automatically start counting and calculate the Amount based on Hours x Rate. You can set your default Rate and have time charges automatically turned on in your User Preferences.

New Case Activity with Time Charges enabled

New Message with Time Charges enabled

Creating An Invoice

Once you have created the Ledger Item, it will appear in the Books section in the menu bar. The Open Charges page includes a list of all Ledger Items ready to be Invoiced. To create an invoice from a ledger item, simply check the box next to the item, and click the Create Invoice button, and then Save. You can also set the Billing Date here.

Once you hit save you will be taken to the Open Invoices page. This is where all Unpaid Invoices go. From here, you can delete the invoice using the red X, which detaches the ledger item and moves it back to Open Charges. You can view a PDF of the invoice by clicking on the PDF icon. If you need the invoice in the Ledes 1998B format, that is the icon with the L on it. The money looking icon is one of the ways you can apply a payment to the invoice. And the last icon will take you to the invoice details screen.

You can also create an invoice with multiple ledger items, as well as multiple invoices per ledger items. If you have multiple ledger items in a Case with the same Bill To party, you can create one invoice which has all the ledger items attached to it. If you have many open charges from multiple Cases, you can check them all in the Open Charges page and it will create an invoice for however many items you check.

Recording and Adding a Payment

There are a couple different ways to Add a Payment to an Invoice. You can add a payment by clicking the money icon to the left of the invoice, on the Open Invoices page. You can also apply a payment from the Invoice Detail page. When you do so a new box will appear with fields to fill out. It will have a table of all ledger items attached to the invoice.

Once all required information is filled out, click the Save button to Apply the Payment. The Invoice will then be moved to the Paid Invoices page. And the Payment will show on the Historical Payments page. On the Historical Payments page, you can view the Payment Details by clicking on the icon to the left of the item. If you wish to delete the payment, the Invoice will return to Open Invoices, and the Payment will be removed from Historical Payments.

Payment was added to the invoice

A list paid invoices

A new ledger entry will automatically be created in the Case to show the payment was received.

You can view the payment in the Ledger Tab as well

What Reports can I get for the Case Ledger?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:44:00 +0000

In MerusCase we have a complete ledgering system that you can use in cases. Sometimes you would like a report ran on what's been owed, on what's been paid and was the case totals are. Admins can go to the Tools > Reports section to get reports.

Available Case Ledger Reports:

A/R Expenses & Reports is ONLY items that are negative in the case, i.e., money owed the firm. There is no inclusion or consideration for whether or not a payment (check in hand) has been added to a case to balance these items out. So, if you ask a client for $10,000, it will appear here, regardless of whether any payment on that money has been recorded.

A/R Payments Received is the exact opposite, i.e., ONLY positive items in Case Ledger. So a check you logged for $10,000 shows up here without any consideration for whether or not the check was even invoiced for or any corresponding "charges" in the ledger.

Case Ledger Summary is the list of Cases and their balances. This report has a total of each ledger total (if there is one). If nothing is logged, the case is omitted from the list. If it is zero (because you've been paid, imagine that), the case does show in the list.

How do I change my screen resolution?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:45:00 +0000

To enjoy the full capabilities that MerusCase has to offer we require that your native screen resolution be set to at least 1024x780. For an even better experience we recommend using a widescreen monitor.

To change your screen resolution:
Windows XP

1.	Open Display in Control Panel.
2.	On the Settings tab, under Screen resolution, drag the slider, and then click Apply.
3.	When prompted to apply the settings, click OK. Your screen will turn black for a moment.
4.	Once your screen resolution changes, you have 15 seconds to confirm the change. Click Yes to confirm the change; click No or do nothing to revert to your previous setting.

Windows 7

Open Screen Resolution by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, and then, under Appearance and Personalization, clicking Adjust screen resolution.
Click the drop-down list next to Resolution, move the slider to the resolution you want, and then click Apply.
Click Keep to use the new resolution, or click Revert to go back to the previous resolution.

How do I JET File using MerusCase?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:49:00 +0000

JET File allows electronic filing of multiple “forms” and attachments in a single transmission by secure file transfer (SFT) service. ~~It is designed for large-volume filers who file~~ ~~100 or more of any one of the following forms annually.~~

EAMS now allows anyone to JET file.

Application for adjudication of claim

Declaration of readiness to proceed (to hearing)

Declaration of readiness to proceed (to expedited trial)

Compromise and release

Stipulations with request for award

Notice and request for allowance of lien.

Check out their website and brochure here.

We made it easy for you to electronically file using MerusCase. Watch the video to see how!

How do I manage my firms MerusCase user list?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:46:00 +0000

Only Firm Administrators have the capability to add, deactivate, edit details, and reset passwords for MerusCase users.

To get to the User Management section:

Click Tools > Settings > User Management (left side) > User List. This will navigate you to a table showing all of the users within the firm displaying the each user, his/her username, status, and the user’s last login.
Click on the user of which you want to edit.
Here you can edit the user details by clicking on the user.

*If you choose to reset the user password they will be emailed a new temporary password. For security purposes we cannot see, nor edit user passwords.*

Why can't I see certain parts of MerusCase?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:04:00 +0000

You may find yourself looking at a screen like this after changing the window size, or after adjusting the zoom in the browser.

This is due the browser not being able to render MerusCase, (or any webpage) correctly. To fix this, adjust the zoom settings in your browser (help article here), or the window size by dragging the corner of the window out or in.

How do I view a TIFF (.tif or .tiff) file in MerusCase?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:47:00 +0000

When files are downloaded in your web browser (i.e., Chrome, Firefox, Internet explorer) another program is used to open and handle that newly downloaded file, like Word, Adobe Reader, an image viewer, etc.

When you download a TIFF file it's treated as any other type of document. Like PDF files or Microsoft Word documents, viewing a TIFF file depends on an appropriate application or browser plugin being present to then be able to handle that TIFF file accordingly.

How some file are handled when downloaded:
-If PDFs are downloaded through Firefox then Acrobat Reader if used for opening the file.
-If Chrome is used, Chrome's built-in PDF viewer is used.
-If a Word document is downloaded, Microsoft Word is typically used to open that document on your local PC or Mac.

Because MerusCase is built on web technologies, we can leverage the broad browser support for file formats like TIFF, easily. One tool that allows viewing of TIFF images in Firefox itself is a free product called AlternaTIFF.

EAMS Handbook

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0000

These are the rules and guidelines that MerusCase follows for its Filled Forms feature.

"As of Aug. 25, 2008, the Division of Workers’ Compensation/Workers’ Compensation appeals Board and each of its district offices began using the Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS) to manage case files, data and hearings. During the initial implementation period, EAMS external users will be able to file documents with the district offices in one of two ways: via Web-based, electronic forms (e-forms), or new paper forms (optical character recognition or “OCR” forms). Filing via e-forms requires a log-on and password. Filing OCR forms requires use of the forms available on the DWC Web site, at the district offices, or forms that have been designed to work in case management systems to auto populate, and which have been tested for EAMS compatibility at the DWC forms testing lab. The DWC EAMS Web site at www.dwc.ca.gov/eamscontains a wealth of information about EAMS. This handbook pertains specifically to OCR form filing.

Data contained on an OCR form is read by EAMS when the document is scanned into the system. The data automatically populates portions of the EAMS case file, reducing human processing time. The data also triggers workflows, promoting expeditious setting of hearings and decisions on pending cases.

Regulations requiring use of OCR forms became effective Nov. 17, 2008. Following the transition period, which ended Dec. 12, 2008, filing using OCR forms became mandatory, unless the document is filed as part of DWC’s e-forms trial.

WHERE TO FIND THE OCR FORMS: The final version of the OCR forms is available on the DWC Web site at www.dwc.ca.gov/eams and at the local DWC district offices.

Additionally, many forms developers have been working with the DWC to ensure forms they create to seamlessly auto-populate in case management systems will also integrate seamlessly into EAMS. DWC recommends you check with your forms developer to ensure they have tested their forms for EAMS compatibility at the DWC forms testing lab.

FILLING OUT OCR FORMS: You may fill out OCR forms on the DWC Web site and print completed forms for submission. You may also print Rev. 4/15/2009 2 the OCR forms from the Web site and fill them out using a typewriter. Again, if you use a case management system to auto-populate and print forms, you will want to be sure your developer has tested its forms for EAMS compatibility. If you are an injured worker without an attorney, or an unrepresented uninsured employer, you may fill out the OCR forms using neat block printing, or you may contact the DWC information and assistance officer at your nearest district office, who will guide you through the process." -EAMS

Click here to download

How do I clear my browsers cache?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:14:00 +0000

Clearing Firefox cache:

At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button (Tools menu in Windows XP) and then click Options (If no menu bar is shown, hit F10)
Select the Advanced panel.
Click on the Network tab.
In the Offline Storage section, click Clear Now.
Click OK to close the Options window
Close and re-open Firefox

Clearing Chrome cache:

1. Click the Tools menu. (the wrench in the upper-right corner)

2. Select Options.

3. Click the Under the Hood option on the left pane.

4. Click Clear browsing data…

5. In the Clear data from this period drop down menu choose the period the beginning of time

6. Check the boxes for the types of information you wish to delete.

Clear browsing history
Clear download history
Empty the cache

7. Click Clear Browsing Data when ready.
8. Close and re-open Chrome

Why do I get logged out for inactivity?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:01:00 +0000

You may encounter an error message similar to this one.

For security purposes there is a default time limit for how long a log in session will last without any user activity. These sessions are setup so that they will cover a full work day, however, you may experience an issue where the system will log you out even though you are actively using your account.

This problem, more often than not, is simply the fact that there are two or more windows of your browser running at the same time and of the windows is old enough to have initiated the inactivity message.

To reduce being accidentally logged out make sure to have only one window of your browser (Chrome or Firefox) running. You can however, have as many tabs open as you wish by clicking the new tab icon in the upper right of the MerusCase screen.

How do I to send an Outbound Email using MerusCase?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:33:00 +0000

You are now able to send outbound emails to people outside of MerusCase.

Here is a video that explains how Outbound emailing in MerusCase works.

Sending an email to a non-MerusCase user works by:

You sending an email to a non-user.
Them getting an email that contains a link. Once they click this link, they can respond to the email within the 24-hour time frame. This 24 window is set for client security reasons.
Once they respond to your email, you will receive the message in your MerusCase inbox.

Why aren't all my separator sheets being detected?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:37:00 +0000

MerusCase scans each uploaded page to see if there is a bar code (as seen on the Separator Sheet) present so it knows where to split each batch scan. Therefore, the Separator Sheet needs to be free of any artifacts.

The most common issue for Separator Sheets not being recognized in MerusCase is due to incorrect scanner settings where the bar code can not easily be detected my the MerusCase software to scan, due to a "dirty" copy of the sheet itself.

These scanner settings (set by either the software on the PC or by the scanner interface itself) should be set to scan:

(Usually you can find the instruction manuals for your scanner online)

At a minimum of 200x200dpi
As text only or as line art
As a "fresh", clean, non-dithered copy of an original sheet. Downloadable here.

Dither will not work | Non-dithered works fine

So that the bar codes are not skewed, curvy or "warped" at all.
The bar code must be fully intact.

For example, these will work:

This one, however, will fail:

How do I enable Macros in MS Word 2011 for Mac?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:23:00 +0000

Enable Word to accept macro-enabled documents

1. In Word, click Word in the top left corner next to the Apple logo.

2. Select Preferences

3. Click Security, under Personal Settings

4. Under where it says Macro Security, make sure the box is unchecked.

5. Click OK to save

After merging a document, and you have it open in Word 2011, press the following button to save it back to MerusCase.

How do I add a Statute Type and add a statute to a case?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:05:00 +0000

With the statute expiry feature in MerusCase you have the ability to add an event to the case and firm calendar that reflects a user specified length of time to the case and firm calendar that contains the details about the injury so you know when a statute for that injury is approaching. The statute date uses an Event Types to set a date in the case and firm calendar which is located in Systemwide settings section.

**Note** Before adding a New Custom Statute to use, you'll want to add Event Types that will be used by the statute feature.

To add a Statute to your firm-wide statute selections:

Select Settings from the Tools drop down menu.
Select Systemwide Settings from the Left Panel.
Click Statute.
Click New Custom Statute to create a new statute for the firm to be able to use.

Now, when creating a new injury, you can specify the Set Statute Expiry in the Injury Details section of a case.

To add a statute for an injury:

Navigate to desired case.
Click Injury > then Details for the desired injury you'd like to set the statute for.
Click General Injury Information > Edit
Select drop-down (instruction for adding items shown above) for Set Statute Expiry field.
Click Add (you will see that date for the Event that was created from this action) then Save to save all information.

How do I add a new Medical Entry to a Personal Injury Case?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:32:00 +0000

Adding a new Medical Entry to a Personal Injury Case.

To add a Medical Entry to a case, make sure you are in the case that you would like to add the entry to.

Navigate to a Personal Injuries case. (You can change the case type in the Case Details > Case Info page)
Click “Medicals” tab; it should be the last one on the right.
Once clicked, it will display any items already added.
Add a new item by clicking the “Add Item” button on the right side of the panel.
Once clicked, a new window will display where you can enter the necessary information.
Click the “Save” button. The entry will be saved and you will be taken back to the main Medicals page, where you will see all items entered.

How do I consolidate multiple cases?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:39:00 +0000

This help article will explain what is consolidated and what to do pre-consolidation.

Sometimes the situation may arise where you might need do consolidate a case, either from a duplicate case being entered in new by a user, even though there was already a case in the system for that client, or from a data migration.

*Note*

-Only firm administrators have this capability.
-The Injuries should be linked to their respective parties prior to the consolidation. This is done in the Injuries tab with the check boxes.

-All the relevant case info is kept. (i.e., Activity items, documents, injuries, ledger items)

-This action cannot be undone. However, the merge details are kept in the Case Info > Comments section.

Steps:

First you'll want to attach all the injuries to the parties involved, so when you merge forms the documents know what parties are involved.
Navigate to the main case and click the case consolidation icon.
Add the other other cases to merge.
Click Yes, Consolidate.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/iframe&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

What are Print Table and Print Panel?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:58:00 +0000

What are the differences between the two?

VS.

Print Panel gives you only the items that you currently see on screen (here it's 50):

Print Table displays all the items searched for (here it's 90):

How do I see the records that I requested through Genie Docs?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:25:00 +0000

To be able to see which records your firm has requested through Genie Docs you must have a user account set up for Genie Docs.

**If there are any issues accessing Genie Docs, please contact Gemini Duplication at (http://geminiduplication.com/contact.asp) since they are the company that is providing your record requests.**

To see what records your firm has requested through Genie Docs, go to Tools > Get Records while in MerusCase. You will then forwarded to the Genie Docs website. From there click History on the upper right of the screen to see your orders.

What's this new Browse Firm PDFs section?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:24:00 +0000

We realized that sending the uploaded documents to the users inbox wasn't the most effective way to handle large amounts of uploaded documents, so we decided to create a better approach for our users to handle the shear volume of PDF files uploaded. In this section you can easily see what PDF's have been uploaded into your firms' account and, of course, you have filtering capabilities.

This section of MerusCase was added with two things in mind:

   1. To speeding up the time it takes to handle (tagging, naming and attaching) batch scans that were uploaded using the Upload Tool.

   2. Creating a localized place for users to see PDFs that were uploaded (i.e., batch scans of snail-mail, faxes, or just all PDFs in general.)

Within this section you can:

Give the PDF an Activity Tag
Option to rename the PDF uploaded
Attach the document to a case, all in one step

**There is a preference in Tools > Settings > Preferences to send the documents to your Inbox (as done traditionally) if that is more preferred.**

How do I create a list of companies that are related to a case?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:31:00 +0000

This article explains how you can create a list of cases that are related to a company or companies within MerusCase. An example would be that you would like to create a list of cases that an insurance company(ies) are related to.

Steps to see related cases:

Navigate to Contacts > Browse Companies
Type in the name of the company of which you want your list generated from.
Click Related Cases.
Here you will have the option to view or print the list of cases.

Why do I get an "Error 5253" in Microsoft Word when trying to save a document?

noreply@blogger.com (MerusCase Support) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:32:00 +0000

In Windows, after merging a letter and trying to save it with QuickSave enabled, you may get an "Error 5253" that pops up in Microsoft Word 2007:

Microsoft Word 2007 "Error 5253" in Windows 7

This happens when the firewall permissions block MS Word form doing outbound traffic.

To allow MS Word 2007 to communicate through Windows XP

To add a client application to the Windows Firewall Exceptions list, follow these steps:

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click Windows Firewall, and then click the Exceptions tab.
Click Add Program.
Locate the application that you want to add, and then click OK.
Click OK.

Windows 7 users here:

Open Windows Firewall by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type firewall, and then click Windows Firewall.
In the left pane, click Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall.
Left pane of Windows Firewall
Click Change settings. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Select the check box next to Microsoft Word 2007 to allow, select the network locations you want to allow communication on (eg. Public/Private), and then click OK.