workers’ compensation News

Travelers Sees Q1 Profit Fall From Storms; It’s Watching COVID-19 Workers’ Comp Claims

Property and casualty insurer Travelers Cos. Inc. reported a 25% drop in quarterly profit on Tuesday and warned that potential claims tied to compensation coverage for furloughed and laid-off employees would hit results for the year. The coronavirus pandemic has …

Iowa Beef Plant Reopens After 177 Workers Test Positive for Virus

An Iowa beef processing plant that was idled after a coronavirus outbreak resumed production Monday, one day after the state said 177 workers there have tested positive. The Iowa Premium plant in Tama, owned by National Beef, had suspended production …

States Easing Path to Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Coronavirus Workers

Sympathetic state lawmakers and regulators in states both red and blue promise to make COVID-19 a major cost driver for workers’ compensation insurers. The governors of Kentucky, Arkansas, North Dakota and Florida and state regulators in Illinois, Washington, Michigan and …

California State Fund to Accept All Essential Worker COVID Claims; Adds to Safety Fund

California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund on Monday announced another series of actions designed to support policyholders and workers affected by the COVID-19 crisis, including doubling the size of its newly announced Essential Business Support Fund announced earlier this week to …

Positive Tests Mount After Virus Outbreak at North Dakota Wind Turbine Plant

A coronavirus outbreak at a northeastern North Dakota wind turbine plant has ballooned to 110 cases in early testing and one city official said he expects a “prolonged battle” to control the spread. An uptick in cases at the LM …

Lawsuit Seeking Greater Protections for Washington Farmworkers

Advocates for farm workers in Washington state have filed a lawsuit against the state seeking safer working conditions as the harvest season begins amid a coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of workers are already pruning grapevines and fruit trees and getting ready …

Layoffs, Small Business Exits Likely Major Coronavirus Effects on Workers’ Comp: NCCI

A new analysis of the economic effects of the coronavirus finds that while layoffs of workers will have the most immediate effect on workers’ compensation, a rise in business failures could pose a major challenge later. Unemployment claims for the …

Employers May Exclude Payroll to Employees Not Working for Workers’ Comp: NCCI

Businesses that have suspended operations due to COVID-19 but continue to pay employees who are at home but not working will not have to include the payroll paid to these employees in the calculation of their workers’ compensation premium. The …

Businesses Fear Lawsuits from Sick Employees, Patrons After Reopening

Whenever U.S. stores, restaurants and theaters reopen from coronavirus shutdowns, they may face an unexpected problem: lawsuits from sick patrons and workers. Business owners hit hard by Covid-19 are eager to get back to work as the outbreak shows signs …

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

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 affected by COVID-19. The memo is in response to Chief Financial …