Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wisconsin Roofing Contractor Fined $94,000 for OSHA Violations
Aug 1 2022 // Despite the potentially deadly consequences of its actions, an Appleton, Wisconsin contractor allowed three roofers to work at heights up to 18 feet without anchoring their fall protection, making it useless in preventing...
California Insurance Commissioner Leaves Workers’ Comp Benchmark Rate
Aug 1 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara adopted and issued a rate for workers’ compensation insurance pure premium that he said reflects California’s still-recovering economy. Lara’s action...
Freight Broker Sues Liberty Mutual for ‘Excessive’ Work Comp Premiums
Jul 29 2022 // An Illinois freight broker has filed a lawsuit accusing Liberty Mutual of overcharging it by demanding payment of workers’ compensation premiums for independent contractors who are ineligible for benefits. Virnich...
Washington Auto Repair Owner Caught 2nd Time in Workers’ Comp Scam
Jul 29 2022 // A Kennewick, Washington, business owner pleaded guilty to a felony for failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance for his employees for the second time. Benton-Franklin Superior Court Judge Norma Rodriguez...
OSHA Investigating After Construction Worker Electrocuted at Charlotte Airport
Jul 28 2022 // A construction worker at a North Carolina airport was electrocuted, according to a California-based company for whom he worked. The Charlotte Observer reports Rosendin Electric, a company based in San Jose, California,...
Report: California Workers’ Comp Written Premium Down in 2021
Jul 27 2022 // Written premium for 2021 was 1.4% below that for 2020 and is the lowest since 2012, a new report shows. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California issued its quarterly report on written premium,...
Wisconsin Insurance Premiums for Worker’s Comp Decline
Jul 26 2022 // Wisconsin companies will pay 8.47% less in worker’s compensation insurance rates starting Oct. 1, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development reported. The lower rates reportedly reflect continued worker safety...
Faking Workers’ Comp Injuries Costs Washington Logger $160K, Detention
Jul 21 2022 // A Cowlitz County, Washington, logger who reportedly faked injuries to collect workers’ compensation benefits was ordered to repay the state more than $160,000. James Joseph Thomasson, 53, has also been ordered to...
California Insurance Commissioner Leaves Workers’ Comp Benchmark Rate
Jul 19 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Tuesday adopted and issued a rate for workers’ compensation insurance pure premium that he said reflects California’s still-recovering economy. Lara’s...
Tennessee’s Workers’ Comp System Limits Help for Injuries, Newspaper Reports
Jul 18 2022 // Sedgwick, one of the largest workers’ compensation claims-management firms in the United States, was penalized by Tennessee regulators more than any other company in the last five years. But most of the fines have...
Report: Sharp Increase in California Workers’ Comp Med-Legal Costs
Jul 18 2022 // Payments for medical-legal services used to resolve medical disputes over compensability issues in California work injury claims have risen sharply under the new Medical-Legal Fee Schedule that took effect last year, a new...
Actress Charged with Workers’ Comp Fraud in California
Jul 12 2022 // Q’Orianka Kilcher, 32, of North Hollywood, has been charged with two felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud. An investigation by the California Department of Insurance reportedly found Kilcher...
Texas Division of Workers’ Comp Seeks Input on MQRP rule changes
Jul 6 2022 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) said it is accepting public comments on a proposed rule amending 28 Texas Administrative Code §180.62, concerning the Medical Quality Review...
West Virginia Requiring New Notices, Info on Workers’ Comp Claims Decisions
Jul 6 2022 // West Virginia’s insurance commissioner is reminding workers’ compensation stakeholders about statutory changes that took effect this month on claims and adjudication of claims. “As a result of these...
New York Offers Plan for Businesses With Unpaid Workers’ Comp Premiums
Jul 6 2022 // Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation to help employers with unpaid workers’ compensation premiums regain access to coverage through the New York State Insurance Fund, the state’s largest workers’...
Report: Sharp Increase in California Workers’ Comp Med-Legal Costs
Jul 5 2022 // Payments for medical-legal services used to resolve medical disputes over compensability issues in California work injury claims have risen sharply under the new Medical-Legal Fee Schedule that took effect last year, a new...
Florida Workers’ Comp Admin, Second-Injury Fund Fees to Remain Steady for 2023
Jul 5 2022 // The surcharge for Florida’s Workers’ Compensation Administration Trust Fund and for the second-injury fund will remain the same for 2023 – at near-historically low rates. The Division of Workers’...
Texas Division of Workers’ Comp Sets Discount Interest Rate
Jul 4 2022 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation has determined that any interest or discount provided for in the Texas Labor Code shall be at the rate of 6.38%. The rate is effective July 1,...
Report: California Workers’ Comp Insurer Losses Were up in 2021
Jun 30 2022 // Total insurer combined losses and expenses incurred in 2021 were $13.1 billion, or 96% of calendar year premium, compared with $12 billion in 2020, according to a report released today. The Workers’ Compensation...
Massachusetts OSHA Plan for Public Sector Gets Initial Federal Nod
Jun 29 2022 // The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has given preliminary approval to a new occupational safety and health plan for Massachusetts state and local employers and their employees. If given final...
