Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Study: Drop in California Workers’ Comp Hospital Stays and Spinal Surgeries
May 3 2018 // The number of California workers’ compensation inpatient hospital stays fell 31.2 percent between 2008 and 2016 compared with a 19.6 percent drop in hospital stays paid under private plans, a new California...
Amazon, Lowe’s, Tesla Make ‘Dirty Dozen’ Unsafe Workplace List
May 2 2018 // Amazon, Lowe’s and Tesla are among the firms on a list of employers with unsafe workplaces published by a federation of labor, health and safety groups. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health...
N.J. Roofing Contractor Cited for Safety Hazards, Could Face $221K in Fines
May 2 2018 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited roofing contractor John Prevete Framing LLC for exposing employees to safety hazards while performing residential...
Federal Tax Cuts Spur 1.8% Decrease in Florida Workers’ Comp Rates
May 2 2018 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has approved a 1.8 percent rate decrease for workers’ compensation insurance in Florida. The decrease was filed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance...
Pennsylvania Governor Wolf Vetoes Workers’ Compensation Drug Formulary Bill
May 1 2018 // Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has vetoed Senate Bill 936, which sought to amend the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act by establishing a formulary, or a list of prescription medications that could be prescribed...
Illinois House OKs Development of State-Financed Workers’ Comp Insurer
Apr 30 2018 // Illinois’ House of Representatives has passed a bill that would create a state-monitored insurance company with the intention of driving down workers’ compensation insurance costs in the state. The House voted...
Southern California Police Officer Arrested in Workers’ Comp Fraud Case
Apr 27 2018 // The Los Angeles Police Department says one of its officers has been arrested on suspicion of workers’ compensation fraud. Officials say Officer John Bailey was taken into custody this week after a felony warrant was...
N.J. Manufacturer Faces More Than $435K in Penalties for Workplace Safety Failures
Apr 27 2018 // New Jersey plastics manufacturer Douglas Stephen Plastics Inc. has been cited for exposing employees to safety and health hazards at its Paterson, N.J., facility and faces penalties of $435,679. The U.S. Department of...
Texas Attorney Gets 10-Year Sentence for Role in $26M Work Comp Fraud
Apr 25 2018 // An attorney in Grand Prairie, Texas, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $26,572,458.93 in restitution for his role in a workers’ compensation fraud scheme. Federal prosecutors say...
Travelers Enhances Workers’ Comp Claims Platform for Injured Employees
Apr 24 2018 // The Travelers Companies, Inc. has added new digital capabilities to its “MyTravelers for Injured Employees” workers’ compensation claims platform designed to improve the claim experience for injured...
Ohio Plastics Company Fined $261K for Workplace Safety Hazards
Apr 24 2018 // Federal safety regulators have cited a Bellevue, Ohio-based plastics company for multiple safety violations after an inspection found employees exposed to fall, machine, and electrical hazards. The U.S. Department of...
OSHA Investigating Fatal Missouri TV Tower Collapse
Apr 23 2018 // Federal safety investigators are on the scene of a TV tower collapse in southwest Missouri that left one person dead. OSHA investigators are trying to determine what caused the 1,980-foot tower to collapse Thursday near...
Idaho Workers’ Comp Rates to Decrease Another 3.4% in June
Apr 20 2018 // The Idaho Department of Insurance has approved a proposal from the National Council on Compensation Insurance for another 3.4 percent decrease to workers’ compensation insurance rates. The decrease is effective for...
W.R. Berkley Names Gilbert as Executive VP, Douglas as President of BerkleyNet
Apr 20 2018 // W. R. Berkley Corp. has named James B. Gilbert as an executive vice president with oversight responsibility for certain of the company’s operating units. Brian P. Douglas is succeeding Gilbert as president of...
Illinois Senate Again Passes Workers’ Comp Reform Measure
Apr 19 2018 // The Illinois Senate has approved restrictions on insurance companies writing workers’ compensation policies. The plan that passed 34-21 on April 17 is identical to one Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed last year. The...
North Dakota Contractor Cited for Safety Hazards, Fined Nearly $455K
Apr 19 2018 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited North Dakota excavation contractor Kamphuis Pipeline Company for exposing employees to trench cave-ins and other serious...
New York Workers’ Comp Board Proposes Improvements in Care for Injured Workers
Apr 18 2018 // The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board (the Board) has proposed improvements in medical care for injured workers. Its proposal includes an increase in medical reimbursement to providers who treat...
Florida CFO Releases List of Top 10 Most Wanted Insurance Fraudsters
Apr 18 2018 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has released a top 10 list of most wanted insurance fraud criminals and called on local communities to help with finding the individuals. According to a statement from the...
Kentucky to Revamp Workers’ Comp System
Apr 16 2018 // Kentucky will make the biggest changes to its workers’ compensation system in decades. The legislation – backed by business groups but opposed by organized labor groups – was passed by both the Kentucky...
Texas Landscaper to Pay $400K in Workers’ Comp Fraud Case
Apr 16 2018 // A Pflugerville, Texas, landscape company pleaded guilty March 21 to misrepresenting its payroll so it could pay less for workers’ compensation coverage, according to the Texas Department of Insurance. Jammers...
