Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
A True Alternative to Opioids for Workers’ Comp? Questions Remain
May 5 2025 // Recent FDA approval of suzetrigine, representing the first new class of pain medication in more than 20 years, is generating excitement among workers’ compensation professionals who have long been looking for a...
Anticipated Regulatory Changes With OSHA
May 5 2025 // With President Donald Trump now in his second term, several changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are anticipated based on his previous administration’s approach, current policy signals,...
Managing Safety in Workers’ Comp
May 5 2025 // After more than 25 years of counseling businesses on ways to improve worker safety, Steven Simon, senior risk control manager for Safety National, said the one piece of advice he could offer to any size organization...
California Workers’ Comp Bureau Submits Higher 2025 Pure Premium Rate Filing
May 1 2025 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California submitted a September 1, 2025 pure premium rate filing, proposing advisory pure premium rates on average 11.2% above the average approved September 1,...
Call Center Workers’ Comp Fraud Scheme Targeting Spanish-Speakers Leads to Charges
Apr 28 2025 // Four individuals, including attorneys, were charged after an investigation reportedly revealed a large-scale workers’ compensation fraud scheme allegedly targeted Spanish-speaking workers and involved the illegal...
People Moves: Virginia’s Workers’ Comp Commission Names Two Deputy Judges
Apr 25 2025 // The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission Names Two New Deputy Commissioners Frederick Schubert The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWCC) has named two new deputy commissioners, Frederick T....
Medical Evaluator Demand Grows in California Workers’ Comp System
Apr 25 2025 // The number of qualified medical evaluators in California’s workers’ compensation system has increased since 2019, but the demand for their services has overtaken this growth, a new analysis shows. Between 2019...
Don’t Forget Tariff Impacts on Workers’ Compensation: Berkley
Apr 22 2025 // The chief executive of W.R. Berkley Corp. said his company is very focused on the impacts of tariffs on loss costs, and ultimately pricing for short-tail lines of business. But the possibility of impacts of other lines,...
California Workers’ Comp Board OKs Higher Pure Premium Rate Filing
Apr 21 2025 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California’s governing committee on Wednesday voted to authorize the WCIRB to submit a September 1, 2025 Pure premium rate filing on average 11.2% percent...
Gov. Hochul’s Proposed Regulatory Changes to Workers’ Comp Treatment
Apr 21 2025 // In her 2025 State of the State, Gov. Kathy Hochul outlined several proposals aimed at improving access to medical care within the New York State Workers’ Compensation system. These initiatives, detailed in her...
Delivery Company Must Repay $2M for Workers’ Comp Scheme
Apr 21 2025 // A Los Angeles, California, couple was sentenced after an investigation reportedly found they underreported more than $21 million in employee payroll for their delivery companies. John Nemandoust, 70, was sentenced to 60...
California Plumbing Contractor Ordered to Pay $1M for Workers’ Comp Fraud
Apr 21 2025 // A plumbing contractor has been ordered to pay $1 million in restitution to the State Compensation Insurance Fund as part of a workers’ comp fraud prosecution. Daniela G. Birdwell, 41, owner of GPS Plumbing, pleaded...
Employee Whiffs on Workers Comp Claim for TopGolf Injury
Apr 21 2025 // An employee who claimed he injured his knee while swinging a club during an employer-sponsored TopGolf event has failed to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. The Virginia Workers’ Compensation...
New York Inspector Uncovered $2.7 Million in Workers’ Compensation Fraud in 2024
Apr 17 2025 // New York State’s Inspector General said her office identified $2.7 million in workers’ compensation fraud in 2024, a nearly 30% increase compared to 2023. Inspector General Lucy Lang also reported there were 14...
Massachusetts High Court Upholds Workers’ Comp for Utility Worker’s COVID
Apr 16 2025 // An insurer erred in denying workers’ compensation benefits to a utility worker who contracted COVID-19 while on the job, a job the state had deemed as “essential” during the pandemic. The insurer had...
People Moves: California Workers’ Compensation Institute Elects 2025 Board
Apr 14 2025 // Eric M. Hansen, senior vice president – underwriting at Preferred Employers, has been re-elected as chair of the California Workers’ Compensation Institute board of directors for 2025. Hansen was first elected to...
Pennsylvania Approves Workers’ Compensation Loss Costs Drop of 8.67%
Apr 11 2025 // The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) has approved a workers’ compensation filing with an 8.67% reduction in loss costs. New or renewal policies issued on or after April 1, 2025 will be subject to the new loss...
Report Shows California Workers’ Comp Medical Review Denials Still Rarely Overturned
Apr 9 2025 // The rate of California workers’ compensation medical treatment request denials being overturned was up slightly last year, but they are still a relatively rare occurrence, a new report shows. Denials were overturned...
Maine Approves 9.6% Decrease in Workers’ Compensation Costs
Apr 7 2025 // Maine has approved the insurance industry’s filing that will lower workers’ compensation insurance loss costs an average of 9.6%. The lower loss costs will go into effect for new and renewing policies as of...
California Delivery Company Must Repay $2M for Workers’ Comp Scheme
Apr 4 2025 // A Los Angeles, California, couple was sentenced after an investigation reportedly found they underreported more than $21 million in employee payroll for their delivery companies. John Nemandoust, 70, was sentenced to 60...