DIR News

California Business Owner Couple Nabbed in $4.5M Workers’ Comp Fraud Scheme

Wei Wen Wu, 54, and Feng Wen Lam, 49, both of Arcadia, California, were charged with 43 felony counts of insurance fraud, grand theft, and conspiracy after allegedly underreporting nearly $4.5 million in employee payroll. The scheme reportedly fraudulently reduced …

Report on California Workers’ Comp Shows 227 Medical Providers Suspended

The California Department of Industrial Relations on Monday issued a progress report on its anti-fraud efforts, including updates on the suspension of 227 medical providers from treating California’s injured workers and the dismissal of 292,000 illegitimate liens with claims valued …

California’s Nonfatal Worker Injuries Remained Steady in 2016

The California Department of Industrial Relations has released the 2016 occupational injury and illness data on employer-reported injuries that shows nonfatal worker injured remained steady in the state. Estimates provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Survey of Occupational …

Workplace Regulation to Reduce Incidents at California Oil Refineries OK’d

California’s Department of Industrial Relations’ Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board today approved a regulation aimed at strengthening workplace safety and health at oil refineries across the state. The new regulation is designed to provide a framework for anticipating, preventing …

California Worker Fatalities up in 2015, Report Shows

There were more workplace fatalities in California in 2015 compared with the prior year, but worker deaths are below the average rate of fatalities prior to the recession, according to a California Department of Industrial Relations issued today. The report …

California Worker Injuries, Illnesses Remain Stable

There aren’t more workers getting hurt, but there aren’t fewer either, the latest available data shows. The Department of Industrial Relations has posted California’s 2015 occupational injury and illness summary data on employer-reported injuries, which is based on estimates provided …

Report Shows Occupational Fatalities in California Rose in 2013

The number of Californians who died on the job rose slightly in 2013, according to a Department of Industrial Relations report. The uptick apparently corresponds to California’s higher employment rates and its broad-based economic recovery. A review of the past …

California’s Industrial Director Challenges Workers’ Comp Report

California’s Department of Industrial Relations Director it taking a bit of umbrage with a study released last week that showed the state was ranked as the costliest for workers’ compensation. Despite major workers’ comp reforms signed into law in 2012 …

DIR: California’s Alternative Security Program Frees $7.5B for Businesses

Department of Industrial Relations Director Christine Baker has approved the implementation of the 2014/15 Alternative Security Program, which DIR says frees $7.54 billion in working capital and provides self-insured California businesses greater financial flexibility. The ASP, operated by the California …

DIR: California’s Alternative Security Program Frees $7.7 Billion

Christine Baker, director of the Department of Industrial Relations, on Wednesday approved the implementation of the 2013/14 Alternative Security Program, which Baker said frees up $7.7 billion in capital that provides self-insured businesses in the state “greater financial flexibility.” According …