Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Workers’ Comp Rates Set to Decrease, Again
Sep 3 2021 // Florida workers’ compensation rates are set to decline again as the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has proposed a statewide rate decrease of 4.9% in the voluntary market. The rates would take...
Ohio Steel Mill Faces $222.4K in OSHA Penalties for Amputation Hazards
Sep 3 2021 // An automotive steel manufacturer in Ohio faces more than $222,000 in proposed penalties for continuing to expose workers to amputations, other hazards at its Canton facility, federal workplace safety officials say. OSHA...
Washington Man Who Faked Job Injury Pleads Guilty in Workers’ Comp Scam
Aug 24 2021 // A Thurston County, Wash., man who reportedly tried to pass off a barroom brawl injury as a workplace accident has pleaded guilty to stealing state workers’ compensation insurance benefits. Chuck Wayne Riccio, 40, of...
OSHA Proposes $1.3M in Penalties Over Massachusetts Worker Deaths
Aug 23 2021 // Federal workplace safety regulators on Wednesday proposed $1.3 million in penalties for the construction company that employed two men who died when they were struck by a dump truck and pushed into a 9-foot deep trench at...
Texas Summarizes Workers’ Comp Bills Passed in 2021
Aug 20 2021 // Several bills passed in the Texas Legislature this year impact the state’s workers’ compensation insurance system. Below, the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC)...
Colorado Home Manufacturer Faces $222K in OSHA Penalties
Aug 17 2021 // Federal workplace safety officials cited a Colorado home manufacturing company for continuing to expose workers to falls at Pueblo facility. Key Structures LLC faces $222,055 in OSHA penalties and 13 willful, repeat and...
Massachusetts Woman Arrested for Workers’ Compensation Benefits Fraud
Aug 17 2021 // A Norwood, Massachusetts, woman was arrested in connection with fraudulently receiving federal workers’ compensation benefits and disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Karen Nolan was...
OSHA Urges Employers to Require Vaccinated Workers to Wear Masks
Aug 16 2021 // The U.S. agency that regulates workplace safety issued guidance on Friday urging employers to require many fully vaccinated workers to wear masks to protect unvaccinated colleagues and customers, amid a surge in COVID-19...
California Workers’ Comp Written Premium Down 13%, Report Shows
Aug 16 2021 // California workers’ compensation written premium for the first quarter of 2021 was 13% below that for the first quarter of 2020, according to a quarterly experience report issued by the Workers’ Compensation...
Why Health Insurance & Workers’ Compensation Insurance Are Not True Insurance
Aug 16 2021 // Fully funded or level funded traditional health insurance provided by employers is not insurance except for people who buy their own insurance, i.e., the small business owner. To qualify as insurance, the insurance policy...
New Hampshire Experiences Continued Stability in Workers’ Comp Market
Aug 6 2021 // The New Hampshire Insurance Department (NHID) approved a rate proposal filed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) that will reduce voluntary loss costs by 8% on average. “Over the past several...
California Workers’ Comp Written Premium Down 13%, Report Shows
Aug 4 2021 // California workers’ compensation written premium for the first quarter of 2021 was 13% below that for the first quarter of 2020, according to a quarterly experience report issued on Wednesday by the Workers’...
Louisiana Doctor Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Comp Fraud, Conspiracy
Aug 4 2021 // A Lake Charles, Louisiana, orthopedic surgeon pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud conspiracy, the U.S. Justice Department reported. Robert Dale Bernauer Sr., 74, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to...
California Landscaper Arraigned for Alleged Workers’ Comp Fraud
Aug 4 2021 // Frank Simplicio, 45, of Porter Ranch, Calif., was arraigned on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and perjury. A California Department of Insurance investigation revealed Simplicio allegedly claimed to be too...
AM Best Assigns Credit Ratings, Stable Outlook to Workers’ Comp Writer SUNZ
Aug 3 2021 // AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) to SUNZ Insurance Co. of Bradenton, Florida. The outlook assigned to these Credit...
OSHA: Ohio Contractor Exposed Roofers to Fall Hazards for 6th Time in 3 Years
Aug 3 2021 // A roofing contractor in Ohio faces proposes penalties of more than $137,000 after being cited by federal workplace safety officials for exposing workers to deadly fall hazards. OSHA said JMH Roofing LLC in Millersburg has...
Workers’ Compensation Research Study Shows No Treatment Delays Due to COVID
Aug 2 2021 // COVID-19 did not delay medical treatment for workers’ compensation claimants, but did decrease the amount of emergency care and other services provided to injured workers, a study released by the Workers’...
California Commissioner Lowers Workers’ Comp Benchmark
Aug 2 2021 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara adopted and issued lower rates for workers’ compensation insurance benchmark rate by 5 cents to $1.41 per $100 of payroll effective Sept. 1. Lara’s decision...
Lessons from the Pandemic for Workers’ Compensation
Aug 2 2021 // The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us tough lessons. We have learned the strengths and limitations of globalization, our public health systems, and our ability to respond during a crisis. In the U.S. workers’...
5.44% Workers’ Comp Rate Decrease OK’d in Wisconsin
Aug 2 2021 // Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Mark Afable approved an overall 5.44% decrease in workers’ compensation insurance rates, effective Oct. 1, 2021. It’s the sixth straight year of rate decreases in Wisconsin,...
