Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wells Named Workers’ Comp Administrative Law Judge in Ark.
Feb 15 2008 // Eric Paul Wells, an attorney from Paris, is the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission’s newest administrative law judge, the agency announced. Since March 2004 he has been the deputy prosecuting attorney...
Citgo Refinery in La. Hit by Proposed OSHA Fine of $169K
Feb 14 2008 // Federal safety investigators have proposed $169,000 in fines against Citgo Petroleum Corp.’s refinery in Lake Charles, La., on allegations of failing to protect employees from hazardous working conditions. The...
Neb. Bill Would Expand Workers’ Comp Coverage for Some Mental Illnesses
Feb 13 2008 // Nebraska lawmakers are considering a big change in workers’ compensation law that could cost millions but that supporters say would provide needed help for injuries that often go unseen. Under the bill (LB1082) from...
Ark. Company Fined $13,500 in Fire that Killed 1, Injured 2
Feb 13 2008 // Deltic Timber Corp. has been fined $13,500 for three safety violations at its sawmill near Waldo, Ark., after a fire caused the death of one worker and injured two others. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration...
Pennsylvania Lowers Workers Comp Rates 10%
Feb 13 2008 // Pa. Gov. Edward G. Rendell announced a 10.22 percent average decrease in workers compensation insurance costs, a move that he said will result in $250 million in savings for employers in the state. The move follows...
Auditor to Probe N.D. Workers’ Comp Safety Grants, Medical Reviews
Feb 12 2008 // An outside auditor will examine whether the board of directors of North Dakota’s workers compensation agency is following its own rules, a state audit manager says. The review also will examine the Workforce Safety...
OSHA Fines North Texas Company $210K for Safety Violations
Feb 12 2008 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported it has proposed penalties of $210,000 against Kaufman, Texas-based Metroplex Masonry Inc. for allegedly failing to protect...
Calif. Bill Seeks to Ban Discrimination in Workers’ Comp Awards
Feb 12 2008 // A Democratic lawmaker is pushing legislation in California that would prohibit doctors from considering age, race or genetic factors in determining the size of workers’ compensation benefits for employees who suffer...
OSHA Hit for Lack of Safety Rules on Deadly Dust Explosions
Feb 11 2008 // Top federal safety officials urged the Labor Department in 2006 to adopt critical regulations to prevent deadly dust explosions– like the one suspected in the deadly blast in a Georgia sugar plant last...
Geo. F. Brown Offers New Workers’ Comp Coverage in Ill., Ind., Mo.
Feb 11 2008 // Chicago-based Geo. F. Brown & Sons, Inc. (GFB) announced today that it has entered into a direct contract with an A.M. Best “A” rated carrier for writing workers’ compensation insurance. Available on...
Linley Named Anchorage Claims Manager for Liberty Northwest
Feb 11 2008 // Portland-based Liberty Northwest, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company, has appointed Nancie Linley as branch manager of claims for its Anchorage office. In her new capacity, Linley will supervise two teams of...
Conn. ‘Botched’ $80M Workers’ Comp Privatization, Charges AG
Feb 10 2008 // Connecticut officials “badly botched” a 2001 deal to privatize hundreds of workers compensation claims by state employees, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has alleged following a multi-year investigation...
500 Tennessee Restaurants to Pay $4.8M Tab for Bankrupt Workers’ Comp Fund
Feb 10 2008 // It’s now official — a judge has ordered a group of Tennessee restaurant owners to pay $4.8 million into a workers’ compensation fund that was mismanaged. About 500 Tennessee Restaurant Association members...
Hawaii Governor Pushes Insurance Reforms in State Address
Feb 10 2008 // In her State of the State address to state legislators in late January, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle outlined 180 proposals she is urging lawmakers to support, including a number of measures that would affect the insurance...
From Insurance to Candy
Feb 10 2008 // For former insurance pro, life really is a box of chocolates Although it’s been many years since See’s Candies President Brad Kinstler was at the helm of an insurance company, and even longer since he was...
Counselor Sentenced for Perjury in Texas Work Comp Fraud Case
Feb 8 2008 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported that a licensed professional counselor has pleaded guilty to charges of perjury in a workers’ compensation fraud-related case in a Travis County, Texas, district court. John...
Midwest Legislative Sessions Focus on Auto, Credit, Tort Reform
Feb 8 2008 // The Washington, D.C.-based the American Insurance Association (AIA) says state legislative sessions opening across the Midwest will see a focuc on proposals dealing with workers’ compensation, liability reform, auto...
Dispute between S.C. Gov., Workers’ Comp Panel in Court this Month
Feb 8 2008 // A struggle between South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s office and a commission that determines how much money injured workers receive is in federal court this month. A restraining order blocking the state...
Insurance Bills Die in Calif. Legislature
Feb 8 2008 // The Association of California Insurance Companies, an affiliate of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, reports that the following 2007 insurance-related bills missed the Jan. 31 deadline to pass out of...
N. D. Commissioner Proposes Changes in Oversight of Workers’ Comp Agency
Feb 6 2008 // North Dakota’s Insurance Department should have authority to do regular reviews of the state’s workers’ compensation agency, says Commissioner Adam Hamm, who intends to seek legislators’ support for...
