Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines

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

OSHA Inspectors to Prioritize Health Facilities Over Other Sites During Coronavirus Crisis

Apr 15 2020 // The U.S. agency that enforces workplace safety laws has said it will prioritize work site inspections of healthcare facilities over other “essential” businesses that remain open during the coronavirus...

Businesses Warn Fear of Lawsuits Could Stall Rebooting of Economy; Urge Coordination

Apr 15 2020 // Litigation surrounding coronavirus responses is already underway and businesses are warning that the fear of more lawsuits could hinder the reboot of the U.S. economy. Returning America to work will require coordination...

How Insurance Claims Pros Are Adjusting to Pandemic Complications

Apr 15 2020 // The coronavirus pandemic has not shut down the day-to-day business of adjusting claims, but the workload is lighter and claims managers are coping with evolving government regulations and guidelines. Crawford & Co....

California State Fund Pledging $50M for Essential Workers During COVID-19 Crisis

Apr 13 2020 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund announced on Monday that it will establish two new funds to support the health and recovery of essential workers and workplace safety during the COVID-19 crisis. The...

Florida Directs Workers’ Comp Insurers to Comply with COVID-19 Treatment Order

Apr 9 2020 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has issued an informational memorandum to all insurers and entities authorized to write workers’ compensation insurance providing guidance on the treatment of policyholders...

Anticipated Coronavirus Claims Scenarios Across Major Coverage Lines: Viewpoint

Apr 9 2020 // As the COVID-19 pandemic has progressed over the past several months, participants in the insurance industry have recognized the likelihood of a resulting increase in claims volume. Much of the early focus has been on the...

California’s Workers’ Comp Bureau Will Skip Mid-Year Filing Due to COVID-19

Apr 8 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California’s governing committee has decided not to submit a July 1, 2020 rate. The committee met this week to review the WCIRB actuarial committee’s...

3 Employers Cited for Safety Hazards After Worker Injured in Illinois

Apr 8 2020 // Federal officials have cited three employers for workplace safety hazards after a worker suffered injuries at Northwestern University’s campus in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern University, Hill Mechanical Corp. and...

Minnesota Lawmakers to Ensure Workers’ Comp Coverage to Responders with COVID-19

Apr 7 2020 // The Minnesota Legislature is reconvening to pass a bill to ensure that first responders and health care workers who contract COVID-19 qualify for workers’ compensation without having to prove that they contracted the...

Florida to Provide Workers’ Comp Coverage to State Workers Battling COVID-19

Apr 7 2020 // Florida state employees working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic will be eligible to receive workers’ compensation coverage under a recent directive from CFO Jimmy Patronis. In a March 30 order, Patronis...

California Commissioner on Immigrant Eligibility for Workers’ Comp Benefits

Apr 6 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today alerted insurance companies that all workers affected by COVID-19 on the job are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits regardless of their immigration...

12 Companies Cited by OSHA in New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel Collapse

Apr 6 2020 // Federal workplace safety officials have cited 12 businesses with safety violations in connection with partial collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans in which three workers died and 18 others were seriously...

Declarations

Apr 6 2020 // Delivery Aid “Insurers must cover delivery services for restaurants on personal auto insurance policies and must offer coverage for hired drivers and non-owned automobiles as a rider on a restaurant’s general...

Coronavirus Effect on Agency Value

Apr 6 2020 // Life has changed for everyone since the lockdown of US citizens and businesses a few weeks ago by our local and federal governments. No one can really believe that in such a short time, beginning mid-March, that our lives...

New Jersey Manufacturer Cited for Safety Lapse After Employee Amputation

Apr 3 2020 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited BWay Corp., doing business as Mauser Packaging Solutions, for workplace safety and health hazards after an employee...

Mass. Division of Insurance Approves 6.8% Reduction in Workers’ Comp Rates

Apr 2 2020 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance has approved a 6.8% reduction in the existing overall average workers’ compensation insurance rates for policies effective on and after July 1, 2020. The rate decrease was the...

Oklahoma Lawmakers Call for First Responder Workers’ Comp Coverage for COVID-19

Mar 30 2020 // A group of Republican lawmakers from the Oklahoma House of Representatives are asking the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML), Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG), CompSource Oklahoma and self-funded municipalities to...

From Free Coverage to Medical Masks. P/C Insurers Deliver Some Good News.

Mar 30 2020 // While the property/casualty insurance industry is fighting attempts to force it to pay for the huge business income losses that it says most policies were never intended to cover, some individual insurers are finding small...

Ohio Workers’ Comp Insurance Provider OKs Deferred Premium Payments

Mar 27 2020 // The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC), the exclusive provider of workers’ compensation insurance in the state, is allowing insurance premium installment payments due for March, April, and May to be...

NCCI Moves Workers’ Compensation Issues Symposium Online for May 12

Mar 25 2020 // The workers’ compensation rating and information organization National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) said it is converting its Annual Issues Symposium from a live to a virtual event due to the coronavirus...