Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Economy, Expenses, Employers’ Clout Likely to Discourage Major Changes to System
Feb 21 2011 // I begin with the following assumptions: The economic situation at the state and federal level will continue — if not worsen — over the next two to five years and unemployment will remain high before falling into the...
Workers’ Compensation – Now What?
Feb 21 2011 // Industry Leaders On the Challenges Ahead for Century-Old System This year marks the 100th anniversary of the workers’ compensation system in the U.S., as explained by Christopher J. Boggs, director of Education with...
A Changing Workforce Among Many Challenges Facing Workers’ Comp
Feb 21 2011 // Looking out into the future, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has identified a number of issues that industry stakeholders are watching closely, including: Growing Healthcare Costs: General healthcare...
Workers’ Compensation History: The Great Tradeoff!
Feb 21 2011 // Pirates of the 18th century and a 19th century German “Iron” Chancellor preceded the United States in the creation of a social system for the protection of injured workers. The modern U.S. workers’...
Montana Vows to Reform Workers’ Compensation Insurance
Feb 21 2011 // Legislators in Montana are making workers’ compensation reform a priority in 2011, having introduced three bills aimed at lowering rates: House Bill 87 would cap the amount that doctors and those in the health care...
Mulryan Named Chair of Calif. State Fund
Feb 21 2011 // The California State Compensation Insurance Fund is likely to face challenges of medical cost increases and the risk of eroding workers’ compensation reforms in the next year. Yet outgoing board chairwoman Jeanne...
Advising Clients on How to Minimize Medical Liens in Workers’ Compensation
Feb 21 2011 // Close early and close quickly. For brokers advising their clients on how to control their workers’ compensation costs, this axiom is a prime directive. There are a host of reasons why this does not always happen. As...
Liens Stress California Workers’ Compensation System
Feb 21 2011 // Liens are “choking” California’s workers’ compensation system, with employers and insurers spending roughly $200 million per year in the state on loss adjustment expense to handle medical liens...
The Biggest Loser
Feb 21 2011 // The adage bigger is better is not necessarily true. Moving larger things — people and objects — requires more physical strain. And recent reports indicate that being super-sized creates economic pains as well. A recent...
Regulatory Ventilation
Feb 21 2011 // The Oversight and Government Reform Committee of U.S. House of Representatives has been looking into whether and how governmental regulations hurt business operations and job creation. In a recent hearing chaired by Rep....
People
Feb 21 2011 // Joe De Poo Dallas-based RISC Inc. added Joe de Poo as vice president in its Transportation Department. De Poo has more than 25 years of insurance industry experience, most of which has been dedicated to Commercial...
No Workers’ Comp for Emergency Worker Mental Stress in North Dakota
Feb 21 2011 // A proposal to give workers’ compensation insurance coverage to emergency workers for mental stress has been defeated in the North Dakota House. North Dakota’s workers’ compensation law normally...
Regulatory Ventilation
Feb 21 2011 // The Oversight and Government Reform Committee of U.S. House of Representatives has been looking into whether and how governmental regulations hurt business operations and job creation. In a recent hearing chaired by Rep....
Iowa Supreme Court: Agent not Required to Suggest Unrequested Coverage
Feb 21 2011 // The Iowa Supreme Court sided with an insurance agent in a case involving whether the agent has a duty to advise clients as to the need for insurance coverage about which the clients had not inquired. In considering an...
Missouri AG Settles with TPAs Over Workers’ Comp Violations
Feb 21 2011 // Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster reached agreements with two companies that the attorney general’s office says violated Missouri’s workers’ compensation law by knowingly failing to report worker...
Oklahoma Agents Group Outlines Legislative Interests for 2011
Feb 18 2011 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (IIAO) is following a number of insurance related measures that have been introduced in the current state legislative session. According to IIAO President and CEO Dan Ramsey,...
Record Number of Grain Bin Accidents in 2010
Feb 17 2011 // Clumps of moldy corn crashed down around Lael Steinhoff, burying him above his waist for more than three hours before rescue workers could free him from a grain bin on his western Iowa farm. Steinhoff, 61, was one of the...
Unpaid Workers’ Compensation Shuts West Virginia Fire Department
Feb 17 2011 // A volunteer fire department must stop answering calls because it failed to pay workers’ compensation premiums for its members. Marshall County emergency management director Tom Hart said the state fire...
Mood on Main Street: Agents on Hardest Hit Small Businesses
Feb 17 2011 // Agents across the country — except in Texas and neighboring states — agree that construction and related trades have been hardest hit by the recession. Restaurants appear to be the second hardest hit. In terms of lines...
Texas Workers’ Comp January Enforcements Include Fines Up to $68K
Feb 15 2011 // Final disciplinary actions taken by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) for January 2011 include individual fines up to $68,000. The final actions include orders related to...
