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Indiana Bill Would Allow Employees to Select Physician in Workers’ Comp Cases

An Indiana lawmaker has proposed a bill that would allow employees to choose their attending physician in workers’ compensation cases. Rep. Charles Moseley, a Democrat, introduced House Bill 1246 this week, which would permit an injured worker to choose a …

MarketScout: 2023 US Commercial Composite Rate Up 4.56%

According to the MarketScout Market Barometer, U.S. commercial property/casualty insurance rates rose 5.6% in the fourth quarter of 2023, resulting in a total composite rate increase of 4.56% for the whole of 2023. “Calendar year 2023 settled down a bit …

NCCI: Shifting Workplace, Costs Are Top Concerns for Workers’ Comp Execs

A new survey finds ratings data, changes in the workplace and workforce, medical inflation and economic uncertainty are top of mind concerns for workers’ compensation insurance executives. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) released the results of its annual …

Florida Labor Supplier Sentenced to 12 Months for Tax, WC Insurance Fraud

The head of a Tampa-area labor supplier has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to defrauding the IRS and workers’ compensation insurers out of millions of dollars. A federal judge in Tampa last week ordered …

Louisiana Workers’ Comp Rates to Fall by 9% in 2024

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has approved a 9% reduction in workers’ compensation rates for 2024. The decrease will take effect in May 2024. Louisiana has seen workers’ compensation rates fall over the last two decades. Rates have had a …

Georgia Man Charged with Depriving Liberty Mutual of $9M in Workers’ Comp Premiums

Georgia authorities last week announced the arrest of a contractor charged with underreporting payroll and defrauding Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. of more than $9 million in premiums. Jose Martinez, 56, of Grayson, was charged with insurance fraud after an investigation …

Fatal Occupational Injuries in Texas Increased by 8% in 2022

Fatal occupational injuries in Texas rose by 8% in 2022. A report from the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) shows there were 578 workplace fatalities in private and public/government sectors in 2022, up from 533 in …

NC Appeals Court Says Injured Off-Duty Law Officers are Joint Employees

The question has arisen many times around the country: Is an injured, off-duty law officer, moonlighting on security or traffic control, considered an employee of the law enforcement division or a private company? The North Carolina Court of Appeals answered …

Audit Finds Tennessee Prisons Severely Understaffed and Officers Worried for Safety

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) –Tennessee prisons are severely understaffed, with a vacancy rate at one prison of 61%, leading to unsafe conditions for both inmates and guards, a state audit of the prison system found. The audit by the state comptroller`s …

WCRI: Consolidation of Health Care Leads to Higher Costs, Longer Disability Duration

Consolidation of health care services into large corporations that own hospitals, clinics and physician practices may hold the promise of more efficient and better-integrated care, but hasn’t led to better outcomes for workers’ compensation patients, according to a new study …