Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Vermont Fines Continental Indemnity for Workers’ Comp Premium Overcharges
Feb 29 2016 // Vermont Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Susan L. Donegan announced on Feb. 26 that Continental Indemnity Co., a subsidiary of Applied Underwriters Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway Company, has paid Vermont...
WCRI Report Examines Trends in New York Workers’ Comp System
Feb 26 2016 // The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) has published its eighth annual report examining the trends in the performance of the New York workers’ compensation system following reforms enacted in 2007. WCRI...
Wyoming Man Sentenced to Probation For Workers’ Comp Fraud
Feb 23 2016 // A Sheridan, Wyo. man accused of collecting disability payments while working for a tree service company has entered a no contest plea to one count of workers’ compensation fraud. The Sheridan Press reported that...
Feds Want Circus Operator Fined for Fatal Tent Collapse in N.H.
Feb 22 2016 // Federal safety officials have proposed more than $33,000 in fines against a Florida-based circus operator for a tent collapse that killed two people and injured dozens in New Hampshire. Robert Young, 41, and his 6-year-old...
New Mexico’s High Court Will Hear Workers’ Comp Case
Feb 22 2016 // The New Mexico Supreme Court plans to review a lower court ruling that cleared the way for farm and ranch laborers across the state to receive workers’ compensation benefits. The justices issued a brief order...
Texas Extends Reporting Period for Workers’ Comp Non-Subscriber Status
Feb 22 2016 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) announced a grace period for employers without workers’ compensation insurance coverage or that terminated their coverage —...
Future of Tennessee Workers’ Comp Option in Question Amid Lawmaker Scandal
Feb 22 2016 // Legislation to create a workers’ compensation alternative in Tennessee is already facing serious setbacks in the new legislative session, despite being amended in 2015 and refiled in 2016. An emerging scandal...
California Hospital Workers’ Comp Report Shows Claim Severity on Rise
Feb 22 2016 // California workers’ compensation claim severity continues to increase, while claims frequency declines, according a newly released report. The latest California hospital report benchmarking workers’ comp costs...
Unlicensed Georgia Agent Arrested for Stealing Premiums From Florida Seniors
Feb 19 2016 // The Florida Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF), which operates under the direction of Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, announced the arrest of William David Rodeffer III of Folkston, Ga. Rodeffer allegedly accepted...
Report: Most California Workers’ Comp Medical Review Decisions Upheld
Feb 18 2016 // An examination of California workers’ compensation independent medical review decisions shows roughly nine-in-10 of disputed medical service requests reviewed by an IMR physician agree with the utilization review...
Pennsylvania OKs Average Workers’ Comp Loss Cost Decrease of 0.9%
Feb 12 2016 // The Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau (PCRB) said the Pennsylvania Insurance Department has approved PCRB’s filing which calls for an overall average workers’ compensation loss cost decrease of 0.90...
California Workers’ Comp Institute Names Langille General Counsel
Feb 12 2016 // Ellen Sims Langille was named general counsel of the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. Langille will manage the CWCI’s internal and external legal affairs. She will also serve as staff liaison to the...
California Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Tribe Through Workers’ Comp Scam
Feb 12 2016 // A Northern California man has pleaded guilty to defrauding an Indian tribe for millions of dollars as part of a workers’ compensation scam. The Sacramento Bee reported that 46-year-old Gregory Chmielewski last month...
Future of Tennessee Workers’ Comp Option in Question Amid Lawmaker Scandal
Feb 9 2016 // Legislation to create a workers’ compensation alternative in Tennessee is already facing serious setbacks in the just started legislative session, despite being amended in 2015 and refiled in 2016. An emerging...
California Hospital Workers’ Comp Report Shows Claim Severity on Rise
Feb 8 2016 // California workers’ compensation claim severity continues to increase, while claims frequency declines, according a newly released report. The latest California hospital report benchmarking workers’ comp costs...
Bill Would Clarify South Dakota’s Workers’ Comp Law
Feb 8 2016 // A bill introduced in the South Dakota House would clarify state law on when part-time employees injured on the job should also receive workers’ compensation benefits for their other part-time positions. The proposed...
North Carolina Explores Drug Formulary Option for Workers’ Comp Claims
Feb 8 2016 // In 2015, the North Carolina General Assembly authorized and funded a study regarding prescription drug formularies in workers’ compensation claims brought by state employees. While this statute does not create a...
Fatal Explosion at ‘Texas’ Musical Venue Leads to OSHA Citations
Feb 5 2016 // Federal safety regulators have cited a performing arts employer after 21-year-old worker died following a pyrotechnics explosion at a musical venue in Canyon, Texas. Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation Inc. was cited for...
Chicago Area Roofer Fined $115K for Multiple Safety Violations
Feb 5 2016 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a Norridge, Ill., roofing contractor after inspectors saw employees working on residential roofing projects without fall...
Atlas General Insurance Services, LLC, Announces New Workers’ Compensation GoPay Billing Platform
Feb 3 2016 // San Diego, CA, February 3, 2016 – Atlas General Insurance Services, LLC (“Atlas”) will launch its new GoPay workers’ compensation billing system for policies effective on and after March 1,...