workers’ compensation News

California Insurance Commissioner Awards $50M in Grants to Fight Fraud

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara awarded $50,545,239 in grants to 34 district attorney offices representing 44 counties in the state to combat insurance fraud. The grants, funded through annual employer assessments, support law enforcement efforts in investigating and prosecuting fraud. …

Injured Workers Pharmacy to Pay $10M for Improper Handling of ‘Red Flag’ Prescriptions

Andover, Massachusetts-based Injured Workers Pharmacy (IWP) has agreed to pay $10 million to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act by improperly filling prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids, and submitting false claims for payment to the Department …

Georgia Laws on Ride-Share Insurance, Hospital Assaults Kick In July 1

Two Georgia laws take effect Saturday, July 1, that affect insurance for ride-share operators and, potentially, workers’ compensation claims from hospital workers. House Bill 529 lowers the minimum amount of uninsured and underinsured motorists’ coverage that ride-share companies must maintain. …

Kentucky AG Accused of Seeking Donations from Company His Office is Investigating

Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron directly solicited donations for his gubernatorial campaign from executives with a Kentucky drug treatment organization that his office began investigating last year, according to an attorney for the organization. The request for contributions occurred during …

Connecticut High Court Nixes Workers’ Comp for Firefighter With Heart Condition

A firefighter must be shown to have worked 20 or more hours a week to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits under state law, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in reversing an appeals court and state workers’ compensation officials. …

Piedmont Airlines Fined $15,000 After Alabama Worker Sucked into Engine in 2022

Piedmont Airlines failed to follow safety procedures before a worker was sucked into a jet engine and killed in December, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a $15,000 citation against the American Airlines subsidiary. “Proper training and …

New York Law Protecting Warehouse Workers From ‘Unreasonable Quotas’ Goes Into Effect

Legislation aimed at protecting New York warehouse workers from “unreasonably demanding work quotas” is now in effect. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the Warehouse Worker Protection Act includes new requirements for distribution centers to disclose work speed data to …

NC Supreme Court: Injured Trucker Due Benefits, Despite Tardy Claim

An injured truck driver described as “pretty tough” by her doctor after she finally sought treatment more than a year after a back injury was eligible for total temporary disability benefits despite the late notice, the North Carolina Supreme Court …

OSHA Cites Jacksonville Center for ‘Shocking’ Amounts of Violence on Workers

Federal safety regulators have fined a Jacksonville behavioral hospital more than $15,000 over what they called “shocking” findings, including almost 200 violent attacks on workers in one year. Workers at Wekiva Springs Hospital were repeatedly assaulted, bitten, punched, kicked and …

Stalled Contract Jeopardizes Relations Between New Disney District and Firefighters

After appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took over Walt Disney World’s governing district earlier this year, its firefighters were among the few employees who publicly welcomed them with open arms. But that warm relationship is in jeopardy as a …