Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Workers’ Comp Insurers to Raise Rates
Dec 11 2008 // The California Department of Insurance has approved rate increases for several workers’ compensation insurers. California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner had recommended a 5 percent increase in his rate...
Massachusetts Companies Settle with OSHA in Worker’s Death
Dec 9 2008 // Two Massachusetts companies cited for safety violations in the death of a 31-year-old Londonderry, New Hampshire construction worker have reached settlements with the federal government. Robert Augeri died June 3 when a...
California Court: Workers’ Comp Doesn’t Bar Independent Contractor’s Claim
Dec 9 2008 // Workers’ compensation does not bar a worker injured at a construction site from bringing a tort claim when the worker is an independent contractor, the California Court of Appeal has ruled. According to court...
Vermont Workers’ Comp Rates Likely to Go Down
Dec 8 2008 // Officials say Vermont businesses should be paying less for workers’ compensation insurance. The National Council on Compensation Insurance is recommending a 13 percent drop in rates in Vermont. If state regulators...
Illinois Workers’ Comp Commission to Hear Changes to Medical Fees
Dec 8 2008 // Changes to the medical fee schedule proposed rules were submitted to the Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) on Dec. 1 and will be heard at the Jan. 13, 2009 JCAR hearing at 9 am in Springfield, Ill. in...
Ohio Lawmakers Continue Workers’ Comp Rating System Dispute
Dec 5 2008 // GOP lawmakers say want to preserve a system used by the state to set job-injury insurance rates. A Cuyahoga County judge earlier this month ordered the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to create by July a new and...
Texas Regulators: Extend Pilot Return-to-Work Program
Dec 5 2008 // In a report to the Texas Legislature, the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation is recommending the extension of a pilot return-to-work (RTW) program for small employers. The program was...
CLARIFICATION: Public Entity Claims Growth Due to Jump in Members
Dec 5 2008 // The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI), a nonprofit research institute, wishes to correct a conclusion about its public entity claims database, the PERI Data Exchange, published by Insurance Journal recently. The...
Washington Workers’ Comp Insurance Premiums Increasing 3%
Dec 4 2008 // Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) said premiums for workers’ compensation insurance will go up, on average, 3 percent in 2009. Individual employers could see their rates go up or down,...
Deadline to Apply for North Dakota Workers’ Comp Board Moved to Dec. 12
Dec 3 2008 // North Dakota’s workers’ compensation agency has extended until Dec. 12 the deadline for people to apply for four open seats on the board of directors. The agency says it received only six applications, and was...
Bright Spots and Challenges Go Hand in Hand in Louisiana
Dec 3 2008 // Despite the challenges faced by the state of Louisiana since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wrought their havoc in 2005, there are bright spots in the state’s property casualty insurance industry, says Louisiana...
Bryk, McGee, and Hodges Join Dallas-Based MarketScout
Dec 3 2008 // Dallas-based MarketScout has added three new associates to its Workers’ Compensation and Texas Specialty Underwriting Division. Rachael Bryk joins MarketScout as underwriter after seven years of specialty...
13 Companies OK’d to Self-Insure for Workers’ Comp in Texas
Dec 3 2008 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) approved thirteen companies to self-insure for workers’ compensation claims for a one-year period under the TDI-DWC Self-Insurance...
Two California Men Charged in $18 Million Fraud Scheme
Dec 2 2008 // Two Southern California men have been charged with conspiring to defraud the State Compensation Insurance Fund of more than $18 million, according to the California Department of Insurance. David Zahler of Huntington Beach...
Workers Comp, Liability Claims Against Public Sector Exploding
Dec 2 2008 // Liability and workers compensation claims against the public sector are multiplying at an unprecedented pace, according to a report from a tracking database maintained by a risk management research organization. In 2008,...
Texas Mutual: Fraudulent Doctor Surrenders License
Dec 2 2008 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported that Ihsan Shanti, M.D. of Houston and Shanti Pain & Wellness Clinic pleaded guilty to felony workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. Between January 2003 and March...
National Study: North Dakota Workers’ Comp Premiums Lowest in Nation
Dec 1 2008 // North Dakota’s workers’ compensation agency says a national study has found it has the lowest premiums in the country. Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) says the study undertaken every two years by the...
South Carolina Sees Slight Drop in Workers Compensation Costs
Dec 1 2008 // South Carolina businesses may see a break on workers’ compensation rates next year. The insurance industry’s National Council on Compensation Insurance told state regulators that loss costs — a key...
Florida Workers’ Compensation Insurers Seek 8.9% Rate Hike Due to Court Ruling
Nov 30 2008 // A Florida Supreme Court ruling has resulted in a request to raise workers compensation rates by 8.9 percent. The National Council on Compensation Insurance filed the request, citing last month’s ruling in which...
Declarations
Nov 30 2008 // A Lawsuit-Driven System “Our lawsuit-driven system provides little benefit to injured workers and devours financial resources that would otherwise be used to grow our economy and create new jobs.” —Oklahoma...
