Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines

All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Washington Employers May See Big Drop in Workers’ Comp Costs

Oct 1 2018 // The price of workers’ compensation insurance in Washington could drop significantly in 2019. The Washington Department of Labor & Industries in late September proposed a 5 percent decrease in the average premium...

Pacific Health Care in California Begins Strategic Acquisition Search

Oct 1 2018 // Newport Beach, Calif.-based Pacific Health Care Organization Inc. in late September announced the launch of a strategic acquisition search for an insurance company to add to its suite of comprehensive workers’ comp...

California Governor Signs Bill to Provide Workers’ Comp to Peace Officers Injured out of State

Sep 28 2018 // California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill into law peace officers can file a claim for workers’ compensation if injured or killed while in the line of duty while out of state. Brown signed Assembly Bill 1749 into...

Minnesota Charges Contractor with Workers’ Comp Fraud, Labor Trafficking

Sep 26 2018 // A Minnesota construction contractor has been charged with labor trafficking, insurance fraud and theft by swindle for using undocumented workers on his construction crews and threatening to have them deported unless they...

Construction Company Cited in Connecticut for Safety Hazards, Faces $146K in Penalties

Sep 26 2018 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited L.L.E. Construction LLC for exposing employees to fall and other hazards at a construction worksite in Bridgeport, Conn....

Pacific Health Care in California Begins Strategic Acquisition Search

Sep 24 2018 // Newport Beach, Calif.-based Pacific Health Care Organization Inc. today announced the launch of a strategic acquisition search for an insurance company to add to its suite of comprehensive workers’ comp...

Texas Sets Workers’ Comp Weekly Benefit Rates for Coming Year

Sep 24 2018 // The workers’ compensation state average weekly wage for dates of injury from Oct. 1, 2018, through Sept. 30, 2019, has been set at $937.70, the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation...

Texas Workers’ Comp Study Finds Improvement in Worker Access to Medical Care

Sep 21 2018 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation reported in a newly released study that access to medical care for injured workers has improved slightly and that a high rate of doctors who treat...

Austin Drops Workers’ Comp Lawsuit Against Firefighter with Cancer

Sep 21 2018 // The city of Austin, Texas, has dropped a lawsuit challenging the determination by state workers’ compensation officials and an appeals panel that a firefighter diagnosed with cancer is eligible for workers’...

Washington Employers May See Big Drop in 2019 Workers’ Comp Rates

Sep 20 2018 // The price of workers’ compensation insurance in Washington could drop significantly in 2019. The Washington Department of Labor & Industries this week proposed a 5 percent decrease in the average premium...

OSHA Fines Contractors $86K Over Miami Bridge Collapse

Sep 20 2018 // Contractors that worked on the bridge near a Florida university that collapsed, killing six people, have been fined more than $86,000 for workplace violations. The Miami Herald reported Tuesday that the Occupational Safety...

Exploring the Jump in Mega Workers’ Compensation Claims

Sep 19 2018 // Mega workers’ comp claims – losses exceeding $10 million – jumped in 2016, according to a new report by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI). It’s unclear if this is a one time...

Missouri Sawmill Cited for Safety Violations; Faces Nearly $200K in Penalties

Sep 19 2018 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed penalties of $199,183 to Missouri-based American Walnut Company LLC for two repeated and 14 serious safety violations....

Amputation Brings Citations Against Ohio Wood Pallet Maker

Sep 18 2018 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited pallet manufacturer Buckeye Diamond Logistics Inc. — which operates as BDL Supply — for lockout/tagout hazards after...

19% Workers’ Comp Rate Decrease Proposed for Tennessee

Sep 17 2018 // The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has filed for a 19.1 percent decrease for workers’ compensation voluntary market loss costs in Tennessee – the largest recommended decrease since reforms to...

Florida Workers’ Comp Rates Going Down Again, But Future Challenges Remain

Sep 17 2018 // Florida businesses could see another significant rate decrease in workers’ compensation rates next year if Florida regulators approve the latest filing from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI). But...

Texas Workers’ Comp Claims Go Digital

Sep 17 2018 // Texas Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Cassie Brown has turned in the keys to a secure warehouse that the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has used since 1992 to store injured employee claims. The...

Report on California’s Independent Medical Review Shows Continued Progress

Sep 17 2018 // An annual progress report from the California Department of Workers’ Compensation’s Independent Medical Review program shows it’s working as intended. IMR is a medical dispute resolution process that uses...

New Workers’ Comp Program for California’s Cannabis Industry

Sep 17 2018 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones in early September announced a new workers’ compensation insurance program for California’s cannabis industry. The program was created by Atlas General Insurance...

California Cites Garment Contractors $570K, Some Lacked Workers’ Comp

Sep 17 2018 // The California Labor Commissioner’s Office has cited six Los Angeles area garment contractors $573,704 for labor law violations after uncovering a scheme where the contractors illegally operated under one license to...