Latest West Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our West Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
More West Virginia Counties Join Workers’ Compensation Pool
Jun 30 2011 // In the wake of a decision by a West Virginia workers’ compensation insurer to drop its program for government agencies, more counties are lining up to join a risk pool. County governments throughout the state are...
Riley Named West Virginia Acting Insurance Commissioner
Jun 21 2011 // West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced that Michael D. Riley will serve as acting state insurance commissioner effective July 1. Current Commissioner Jane L. Cline will retire as of June 30 after 10 years in the...
West Virginia Offers Firefighters Relief on Workers’ Compensation
Jun 20 2011 // West Virginia’s volunteer fire departments looking to offset anticipated increases in their workers’ compensation insurance premiums can turn to a website launched by the state auditor’s office. Auditor...
Coal Industry Blasts Safety Rules
Jun 20 2011 // Coal industry officials have roundly criticized two sets of new safety rules proposed by federal regulators following an explosion that killed 29 West Virginia miners last year. The West Virginia Coal Association and Alpha...
Average Long Term Care Liability Claim Rising: Aon Study
Jun 17 2011 // Long term care liability costs are rising because the average claim size is increasing even as claim frequency declines. There has been a four percent increase in the average claim size, according to research by Aon Risk...
West Virginia Reports State Agencies’ Workers’ Compensation Data
Jun 17 2011 // State figures show the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety had the worst workers’ compensation record among state agencies over the past five years. The department had $10.8 million in...
Coal Industry Blasts New Federal Mine Safety Rules
Jun 9 2011 // Coal industry officials this week roundly criticized two sets of new safety rules proposed by federal regulators following an explosion that killed 29 West Virginia miners last year. The West Virginia Coal Association and...
Massey Criticizes Federal Report on West Virginia Mine Disaster
Jun 6 2011 // The company that owned the coal mine where 29 miners died in the worst U.S. mining disaster in four decades concluded the explosion was the result of unpreventable natural gas buildup and not coal dust, contradicting the...
West Virginia Seeks Workers’ Compensation Bids
Jun 6 2011 // West Virginia is soliciting bids from workers’ compensation insurers to provide coverage for its state employees. The insurance department posted the request for proposals on its website on May 23. The winning bidder...
DuPont Moves to Block ‘Double-Dipping’ by West Virginia Plaintiffs
May 27 2011 // DuPont wants a judge to deny plaintiffs in a West Virginia personal injury case the right to enroll in a related, court-administered medical monitoring program, arguing there’s no point in testing for early detection...
West Virginia Reports Rise in Claims Awarded Against State
May 26 2011 // Monetary claims awarded against the state of West Virginia more than doubled in the past year. The state Court of Claims says in its 2011 annual report that it approved $8.4 million worth of awards, compared to $3.8...
Black Lung Disease Rising Again Among U.S. Miners
May 23 2011 // Black lung disease, long a killer of coal miners, is on the rise again after retreating in the 30 years since Congress passed tougher mine safety laws, health and safety experts said Friday. The renewed appearance of the...
West Virginia Seeks Bids on Workers’ Compensation for State Agencies
May 20 2011 // West Virginia is prepared to solicit bids from workers’ compensation insurers to provide coverage for its state employees. The West Virginia insurance department is scheduled to post the request for proposals on its...
Mine Owner Massey Blamed for Deadly West Virginia Blast
May 19 2011 // The worst U.S. coal mine accident in four decades, in which 29 miners died, was “man-made” and could have been avoided if the mine owner, Massey Energy Co , had followed basic safety measures, an independent...
West Virginia Insurance Commissioner Cline to Retire
May 19 2011 // West Virginia Insurance Commissioner Jane L. Cline will retire after 10 years on the job. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said Cline’s retirement will become effective June 30, 2011 and that he will name a replacement in the...
West Virginia Firefighters Battle Fiscal Crisis
May 17 2011 // West Virginia’s volunteer fire departments are in financial trouble, forcing some to close, because annual fees aren’t keeping pace with the costs of firefighting, the state fire marshal says. “We used to...
West Virginia Jury Awards $2.69M in Fatal DUI Wreck
May 5 2011 // The families of four people killed in a fatal drunken driving accident in West Virginia have won a $2.69 million verdict in their lawsuit stemming from the crash. The Herald-Dispatch reports that a Wayne County Circuit...
5 Former Volunteer Firefighters in West Virginia Face Arson Charges
Apr 25 2011 // Five former members of a volunteer fire department in Jefferson County, West Virginia have been charged with arson and conspiracy. The Journal reported that a grand jury indicted the men last week. One former firefighter...
West Virginia Subsidy
Apr 18 2011 // West Virginia has agreed to provide $5 million to help subsidize the state’s volunteer fire departments’ workers’ compensation costs. West Virginia Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has sign the subsidy...
West Virginia to Subsidize Volunteer Firefighters’ Workers’ Comp
Apr 8 2011 // The doors of West Virginia volunteer fire departments will stay open thanks to a new law that will help offset their workers’ compensation costs. West Virginia Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has sign into law the...
