Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Another Setback for Florida Workers’ Comp as Temporary Disability Benefit Cap Struck Down
Jun 20 2016 // The Florida Supreme Court has delivered another blow to Florida’s workers’ compensation system with a ruling that the state’s statutory 104-week cap on temporary disability benefits is...
California Commissioner Lowers Workers’ Comp Advisory Rate
Jun 20 2016 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones adopted and issued a revised advisory pure premium rate, lowering the benchmark to $2.30 per $100 of payroll for workers’ compensation insurance. The change is effective...
Kentucky Gov Ignores Court Order, Reorganizes Workers’ Comp Commission
Jun 14 2016 // Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin scrapped most current members of a powerful commission and replaced them with his own appointees for a second time, in spite of a judge’s order that temporarily blocked the...
Atlas General Insurance Services, LLC Announces Exclusive New Workers’ Compensation Partnership with Falls Lake Insurance Companies
Jun 14 2016 // San Diego, CA, June 14, 2016 – Atlas General Insurance Services, LLC, a national multi-line program administrator, announced today the addition of an exclusive new workers’ compensation insurance program with Falls...
Central Texas Chiropractor Gets 14-Year Sentence for Work Comp Referral Scam
Jun 14 2016 // A Central Texas chiropractor must serve 14 years in prison and repay the U.S. government nearly $18 million in a workers’ compensation referral scam. Prosecutors say Garry Wayne Craighead of Leander ran clinics...
Other Calderon Pleads Guilty to Bribery as Part of Workers’ Comp Scheme
Jun 13 2016 // The United States Attorney for the Central District announced on Monday that former California State Sen. Ronald S. Calderon has agreed to plead guilty to a federal corruption charge. Calderon admitted in a plea agreement...
Wisconsin-Based Ashley Furniture to Pay $1.75M to Settle Safety Citations
Jun 10 2016 // Wisconsin-based Ashley Furniture has agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle alleged safety violations at four of its plants, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said. Ashley Furniture entered into a...
Judge Blocks Order by Kentucky Governor to Abolish Workers’ Comp Commission
Jun 10 2016 // A Kentucky judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking Gov. Matt Bevin’s executive order that abolished the Workers’ Compensation Nominating Commission and recreated a new one. The Lexington Herald-Leader...
California State Fund Files for Workers’ Comp Rate Decrease
Jun 9 2016 // The State Compensation Insurance Fund is seeking to cut its workers’ compensation rates, per a recent filing with the California Department of Insurance. The rate filing also includes an overall 9.5 percent rate...
Florida Supreme Court Strikes Down State Cap on Temporary Disability Benefits
Jun 9 2016 // The Florida Supreme Court has delivered another blow to Florida’s workers’ compensation system with a ruling today that the state’s statutory 104-week cap on temporary disability benefits is...
WCRI Study Finds ‘Noticeable’ Drop in Opioid Prescriptions in Workers’ Compensation Cases
Jun 9 2016 // A new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found “noticeable decreases” in the amount of opioids prescribed per workers’ compensation claim in a majority of 25 states studied. The...
Former California Lawmaker Pleas Guilty in Money Laundering Case Involving Workers’ Comp
Jun 7 2016 // A former California Legislator on Monday pleaded guilty to crimes that included accepting bribes, some related to alleged bribes involving workers’ compensation fraud. Former Democratic Assemblyman Tom Calderon...
New Jersey Furniture Maker to Pay OSHA $123K in Settlement
Jun 7 2016 // A New Jersey furniture manufacturer has reached a settlement with a federal safety agency to pay $123,000 and fix a slew of health and safety violations, including exposing workers to a cancer-causing chemical. North...
P/C Commercial Insurance Business Expected to Deteriorate
Jun 6 2016 // Underwriting performance for the commercial lines sector of the U.S. property/casualty (P/C) insurance industry is likely to deteriorate in 2016, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings. The expected decline would...
IIABNY Lauds Committee’s Approval of Workers’ Comp Bill
Jun 6 2016 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York (IIABNY) applauded a New York Senate committee’s action to protect employers from surprise insurance premium hikes in their workers’ compensation...
How Well Do Oklahoma Opt-Out Plans Serve Injured Workers? It Depends, Study Says
Jun 1 2016 // A recent analysis of the workers’ compensation “opt-out” system in Oklahoma concludes that employer-run plans for injured workers may offer benefits that are equal to or better than those provided by...
Ohio Gun Shop Faces $194K in Fines for Workplace Hazards
May 31 2016 // Federal safety and health investigators say employees of an Ohio gun shop may face life-long health damage because their employer continues to expose them to lead hazards and has failed to establish a respiratory...
California Commissioner Lowers Workers’ Comp Advisory Rate
May 31 2016 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones adopted and issued a revised advisory pure premium rate, lowering the benchmark to $2.30 per $100 of payroll for workers’ compensation insurance. The change is effective...
NCCI Seeks to Raise Florida Workers’ Comp Rates by 17% in Light of Court Ruling
May 31 2016 // Florida businesses could soon be paying almost 20 percent more for workers’ compensation coverage. In response to a recent decision from the Florida Supreme Court, the National Council on Compensation Insurance...
California School District Aide Busted for Felony Workers’ Comp Fraud
May 26 2016 // An employee of a Southern California school district has been arrested on charges of workers’ compensation fraud for allegedly racking up $33,000 in treatments and disability payments. Juanita Denise Schmittle, 50,...
