Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines

All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Changes in Indiana Workers’ Comp Aimed at Slowing Rise in Medical Costs

May 13 2014 // As in other states with no restrictions on pricing in the workers’ compensation system, medical costs per claim are high and are rising in Indiana, according to a recent study by the Workers’ Compensation...

Virginia to Raise Penalties for Employers Without Workers’ Comp Coverage

May 13 2014 // Employers in Virginia who fail to provide workers’ compensation insurance for their employees will be assessed, beginning July, a civil penalty of up to $250 per day for each day of noncompliance, subject to a...

Investigation Finds Inspections Lacking for Rail Tanker Cleaning

May 12 2014 // Federal inspectors responsible for workplace safety appear not to know which firms and how many firms handle the dangerous task of cleaning the inside of railroad tankers that carry petrochemicals, a Houston Chronicle...

California Injured Workers Medical Costs Moderated Before Reforms

May 12 2014 // A study issued by the Workers Compensation Research Institute shows medical costs for injured workers in California moderated before sweeping reforms were implemented. WCRI looked at the potential impact of recent reform...

Players Association Lambasts New Orleans Saints-Backed Workers’ Comp Bill

May 12 2014 // The NFL Players Association is launching a campaign aimed at defeating the New Orleans Saints’ bid to change state law pertaining to workers’ compensation claims by players. NFLPA executive director DeMaurice...

Delaware Task Force Eyes Lower Workers’ Compensation Costs

May 12 2014 // Delaware’s state panel established to address recent rate increases for workers’ compensation insurance in the state is recommending that medical costs be trimmed by 33 percent over the next three years. The...

Good News for Workers’ Compensation Industry: NCCI

May 8 2014 // The fact that the workers compensation combined ratio was 101 in 2013, a seven-point decrease from 2012 and a 14-point decline since 2011, is a sign that the workers’ compensation market is returning to a state of...

Berkshire Hathaway 1Q P/C Re/Insurance Results Down from Last Year

May 5 2014 // Berkshire-Hathaway’s primary property/casualty operations recorded double-digit gains in premiums and pre-tax earnings in the first quarter, but P/C reinsurance results contributed to a 6.6 percent drop in operating...

Injured Worker Cost per Claim Rises in Texas, Louisiana

May 5 2014 // Payments per claim for the medical care of injured workers in Texas grew nearly 8 percent in 2011, largely the effect of price increases from earlier reforms, according to a 16-state study by the Workers Compensation...

Having Survived Court Challenges, Oklahoma’s Workers’ Comp Redesign Takes Effect

May 5 2014 // The transition of Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system from a court-based system to an administrative one became effective Feb. 1, a change that proponents say will lower costs and help make the state more...

Workers’ Compensation Fraud: The Insurance Producer’s Role

May 5 2014 // There are essentially two types of workers’ compensation fraud – premium fraud and claimant fraud – and insurance producers can play a role in the discovery and resolution of both, according to one investigator...

NCCI Reports on Workers’ Comp Legislative Outlook

May 5 2014 // The National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. (NCCI) published on April 8 its annual workers’ compensation issues report. Included in the report is a legislative and regulatory outlook across the country. The...

California Work Comp Board: 2013 Losses to Hit 11-year High

May 5 2014 // California workers’ compensation losses and loss adjustment expenses on insured claims injuries and illnesses are projected to hit an 11-year high for 2013, according to the Workers’ Compensation Insurance...

Ohio Workers’ Comp Agency Proposes 6.3% Rate Cut

May 5 2014 // The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) staff has proposed a 6.3 percent reduction to base rates for private employers beginning July 1. If approved by the BWC board, it would mark the eighth consecutive year...

Ohio Woman Must Repay $32K in Workers’ Comp Benefits

May 5 2014 // An Ohio woman was ordered to repay more than $32,000 in connection with working while collecting workplace injury benefits. Laura Brown pleaded guilty April 9 in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas to workers’...

Changes in Indiana Workers’ Comp System Aimed at Slowing Rise in Medical Costs per Claim

May 5 2014 // New Fee Schedule for Hospitals Goes Into Effect July 1 Like other states with no restrictions on pricing in the workers’ compensation system, medical costs per claim are high and are rising in Indiana, according to a...

North Dakota Workers’ Comp Agency Sues Aon eSolutions

May 5 2014 // North Dakota’s workers’ compensation agency has sued a Chicago company over a failed $17 million computer system overhaul. The Workforce Safety and Insurance agency filed its lawsuit in state court against Aon...

10 Challenges Ahead for Workers’ Compensation

May 5 2014 // Today’s challenges are also tomorrow’s opportunities depending on the viewpoint. Those same opportunities could also remain tomorrow’s challenges. This special report highlights 10 current workers’...

California Water District Heads to Private Market in Face of Insurance Loss

May 2 2014 // It’s beginning look more and more like the Central Basin Municipal Water District in Southern California is going to be taking matters into its own hands in the face of being tossed out of the state’s largest...

Cal/OSHA Issues First High Heat Advisory Of 2014

May 1 2014 // Cal/OSHA is advising all employers to protect their outdoor workers from the risks associated with heat illness with temperatures expected to be 15 to 25 degrees above normal in both Northern and Southern...