Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Report on California Workers’ Comp Reforms Touts Successes
Jul 23 2015 // The Department of Industrial Relations and its Division of Workers’ Compensation have released a report on progress implementing California’s workers’ compensation reforms. The report details increased...
New Mexico Court Favors Worker in Medical Marijuana Case
Jul 20 2015 // The New Mexico Court of Appeals has ruled that a patient in the state’s medical marijuana program who was injured on the job must be reimbursed by an employer for the expense of marijuana used for treatment. The...
Small Number Causing California Workers’ Comp Review Excess
Jul 20 2015 // A small number of physicians are responsible for a large portion of the independent medical review of workers’ compensation cases in California, a process that could be costing payers in excess of $100 million, a...
Why Back Surgery Rates Vary by Location
Jul 20 2015 // The probability of injured workers getting back surgery depends on the area of the country in which they seek treatment for their back pain. According to a Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) study, “Why...
Missing Word Leads to Reversal of Employee-Favorable Ruling in Nebraska
Jul 20 2015 // The omission of one word in a workers’ compensation court ruling favoring a co-op employee hurt during a company party led the Nebraska Supreme Court to reverse the ruling on July 10. The case stems from a 2010...
Opioid Abuse Rises in Construction, Manufacturing Sectors: CNA
Jul 20 2015 // CNA recently issued two new reports that examine the growing prescription opioid abuse epidemic and its effect on the U.S. workforce, focusing on the construction and manufacturing industries, which are particularly at...
Massachusetts Lowers Work Comp Assessment Rate
Jul 20 2015 // The Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) reduced the assessment that private employers pay to the state on workers’ compensation policies to 5.75 percent of the policy premium for the new fiscal...
Dallas-Area Steel Fabricator Fined $189K for Workplace Hazards
Jul 17 2015 // Federal safety officials have found that a Dallas-area steel fabricator has continued to put its workers in harm’s way, despite its awareness of hazards at its Farmers Branch facility. A recent federal inspection...
New York State Insurance Fund Launches New Online Medical Provider Portal
Jul 17 2015 // The New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF) announced on Thursday the launch of its new online medical provider portal. NYSIF said the new portal will allow registered providers and third party billers to retrieve claims...
New York Approves Average 5.9% Increase in Workers’ Comp Loss Costs
Jul 16 2015 // The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has approved an average 5.9 percent increase in workers’ compensation loss costs for new and renewal business to become effective on Oct. 1, 2015. The...
More Small Employers Using Video to Detect Workers’ Comp Fraud
Jul 15 2015 // Trust is hard to come by, and the proof for that cliché is now in the pudding – at least in the world of workers’ compensation. While roughly one-in-10 small business owners say they’re concerned that one of...
Florida Supreme Court Asked to Decide Constitutionality of Workers’ Comp
Jul 15 2015 // A legal challenge to the constitutionality of Florida workers’ compensation system that was thrown out by a state appeals court may be headed to the Florida Supreme Court. The plaintiffs in the case have asked the...
Why Back Surgery Rates Vary by Location
Jul 14 2015 // The probability of injured workers getting back surgery depends on the area of the country in which they seek treatment for their back pain. According to a Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) study, “Why...
NGM Insurance Introduces Expanded Workers’ Comp Program in Virginia
Jul 13 2015 // The Main Street America Group’s NGM Insurance Co. has introduced an expanded workers’ compensation program in Virginia via its network of independent insurance agents throughout the commonwealth. “The...
Connecticut Workers’ Comp Commission Unveils New Mediation Program
Jul 13 2015 // The Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) on July 1 launched a new program providing mediation opportunities for possible settlement of contested cases. Under the program, parties in a litigated matter...
Feds Say Texas Deaths Show DuPont Has ‘Failed’ Safety Program
Jul 13 2015 // U.S. regulators on took DuPont to task for a massive gas leak last year that killed four workers at a plant in Texas, placing the chemical company in its “severe violator enforcement program” and saying the...
Nebraska High Court Reverses Work Comp Ruling Favoring Employee
Jul 13 2015 // The omission of one word in a workers’ compensation court ruling favoring a co-op employee hurt during a company party led the Nebraska Supreme Court to reverse the ruling on July 10. The case stems from a 2010...
New Mexico Court Favors Worker in Medical Marijuana Case
Jul 13 2015 // The New Mexico Court of Appeals has ruled that a patient in the state’s medical marijuana program who was injured on the job must be reimbursed by an employer for the expense of marijuana used for treatment. The...
4 Commercial Auto Endorsements Every Insured Should Consider
Jul 13 2015 // Insurance Services Office (ISO) lists more than 100 endorsements available for use with the business auto policy (BAP) (the total number varies by state). Out of this mass of policy-altering endorsements, most designed to...
Ohio Workers’ Comp Bureau Begins Overcharge Repayments
Jul 10 2015 // The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has paid hundreds of millions to state employers overcharged for insurance premiums and has dropped its appeal of a decision that led to the payments. The Ohio Supreme Court...
