Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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,...
Texas Extends Reporting Period for Workers’ Comp Non-Subscriber Status
Feb 2 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...
Florida High Court Set to Hear Constitutional Challenge to Workers’ Comp System
Jan 31 2016 // The Florida Supreme Court will hear yet another case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s workers’ comp system on April 16, 2016. The case, Daniel Stahl v. Hialeah Hospital, et al., has been making...
Texas Company Fined $86K for Trenching Hazards
Jan 31 2016 // Federal safety officials have cited a Texas construction company for exposing workers to trenching hazards at a site in Katy. Proposed penalties total $86,240. Five citations were issued by the federal Occupational Safety...
Patriot National Acquires Mid Atlantic Insurance Services in Virginia
Jan 29 2016 // Patriot National Inc., a workers’ compensation outsourcing services firm based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, announced that it has acquired Mid Atlantic Insurance Services, a wholesale commercial insurance broker and...
13 Indictments Handed Down in Massive Workers’ Comp Fraud Scam
Jan 28 2016 // An investigation into what’s being called one of the largest cases of workers’ compensation health care insurance fraud in California Department of Insurance history led to 13 indictments announced today...
Kellar Named Workers’ Comp Director at Louisiana Workforce Commission
Jan 28 2016 // Sheral Kellar has been appointed director of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration at the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Kellar, a licensed attorney with more than 25 years of experience in labor,...
California State Fund to Roll out New Medical Provider Network
Jan 28 2016 // State Compensation Insurance Fund will soon transition to a new outcomes-based medical provider network following a California Division of Workers’ Compensation approval of the new MPN called the State Fund MPN by...
Frozen Seafood Distributor Faces $115K for Safety Violations in Texas
Jan 28 2016 // Named a “severe violator” by federal safety officials, a frozen seafood distributor operating a plant in Brownsville, Texas, has been hit with $155,000 in fines over workplace safety hazards. The federal...
