Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines

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

CWCI Study Examines Utilization Review in California Workers’ Comp

Mar 8 2005 // The California Workers’ Compensation Institute has issued a new report that looks at utilization review and the use of medical treatment guidelines in California workers’ compensation and compares the low back...

Ferrara Nominated to N.Y. Workers Comp Board

Mar 7 2005 // New York Governor George E. Pataki has nominated Nassau County Assemblywoman Donna Ferrara (R,C-Westbury) to serve as a Commissioner of the New York State Workers Compensation Board. Ferrara’s nomination is subject...

Calif. Authorities Give Comp Fraud a Clean Sweep

Mar 7 2005 // In a joint effort, investigators from the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), overseen by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office...

COURT SLAPS SCOFFLAW EMPLOYERS:

Mar 7 2005 // New York State’s highest court has ruled that employers that fail to purchase workers’ compensation coverage cannot use the workers’ comp law as protection against being sued. In reversing a lower court...

CAAA SAYS WORKERS’ COMP PROFITS UP 25%-36%:

Mar 7 2005 // Fourth quarter and 2004 annual earnings statements from leading California workers’ comp insurance carriers are coming in, and profits are reportedly up by 25 to 36 percent over 2003–and 2003 was already the...

CA DWC UPDATES PROGRAM FOR INJURED WORKERS:

Mar 7 2005 // The California Division of Workers’ Compensation has reportedly reinvigorated a state program that provides information and assistance to injured workers through monthly workshops at local DWC offices. “In the...

Calif. Man Collects Benefits on False Claim

Mar 7 2005 // On Dec. 8, 2004, Sammy Barela Rios, of Madera, was arrested by investigators from the CDI Fraud Division and booked into the Madera county jail on four felony counts of workers’ compensation fraud and one felony...

R.I. Judge Orders Nightclub Owners Pay Workers’ Comp Benefits to Families of Employees Killed in Fire

Mar 4 2005 // Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court Judge Bruce Q. Morin has ordered the owners of the West Warwick nightclub The Station to pay lost wages and funeral expenses to the families of four employees who were among...

ACE USA Launches Product for Texas Non-Subscribers

Mar 4 2005 // ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of The ACE Group of Companies, announced the expansion of its Occupational Accident product offering to now include employer liability coverage for Texas employers who have...

Okla. House Passes Comprehensive Comp Reform

Mar 4 2005 // The Oklahoma House of Representatives on Thursday passed comprehensive workers’ compensation reforms which will result in economic development opportunities for the state, according to the American Insurance...

NCOIL Resolution Supports OSHA Ergonomics Guidelines; Hopes for Reduction in Workers’ Compensation Claims

Mar 3 2005 // A resolution supporting ergonomics guidelines for nursing homes and encouraging such facilities to use alternative mechanical lifting methods was unanimously approved on Thursday by the Workers’ Compensation...

TWCC to Host Statewide Safety and Health Conference

Mar 3 2005 // The Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission announced it will host its 9th Annual Safety and Health Conference, the Texas Safety Summit, on May 11 and 12 in Austin at the Omni Austin Hotel Southpark, 4140 Governors...

Washington Dept. of Labor Fines Contractor over Workers’ Comp Violations

Mar 3 2005 // The Washington Department of Labor and Industries has put Skanska USA Building Inc. on notice that it will lose its certificate to self-insure if it doesn’t improve the way it manages workers’ compensation...

State Fund Files 2004 Financial Statement with CDI

Mar 2 2005 // In an annual statement filed Wednesday with the California Department of Insurance, State Compensation Insurance Fund documented that its policyholder surplus — assets minus claims reserves and other liabilities...

Workers’ Comp Bill Substitute Filed in Texas Senate

Mar 2 2005 // The media services division of the Texas Senate reported that State Sen. Todd Staples of Palestine has laid out a substitute for Senate Bill 5, the comprehensive workers’ compensation reform bill. Staples filed the...

Utah Court Rules in Favor of Workers Comp Fund

Mar 2 2005 // On Feb. 2, 2005, Utah Third District Judge Leslie A. Lewis ruled in favor of Workers Compensation Fund, dismissing an action brought by the Utah State Auditor. In that action, the State Auditor asserted that WCF was a...

Mass. Workers’ Comp Writers Seek 1% Hike

Mar 1 2005 // The Workers Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau of Massachusetts (WCRIB) has recommended to the state Division of Insurance that average rates for workers’ compensation insurance be increased by 1.0 percent...

Lemac General Agency Offers Workers’ Comp

Feb 28 2005 // Lemac General Agency in Orange, Calif., has recently added a new market for workers’ compensation. Eligible classes include but are not limited to: agricultural operations, building operations, contractors (no...

N.Y. Court Rules ‘No Pay, No Protection’ from Suits Under Workers’ Comp Law for Scofflaw Employers

Feb 24 2005 // New York State’s highest court has ruled that employers that fail to purchase workers compensation coverage cannot hide behind the workers’ compensation protection against being sued by employees. In reversing...

Okla. Governor’s Workers’ Comp Proposal Passes Senate Committee

Feb 24 2005 // Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry’s workers’ compensation reform bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 5 to 4 vote, according to the Senate Communications Office. The vote split upon party lines with...