injured workers News

Institute Analyzes Impact of California Medical Provider Network Option for Workers

Legislation intended to increase injured California workers’ access to medical care by requiring the state to create a medical provider network as an alternative to private networks that render 90% of California workers’ compensation treatment would significantly increase medical costs …

New Jersey Ice Cream Manufacturer Cited for Safety Hazards Leading to Amputations

Despite two severe amputation injuries in 2018 and 2020 on the same machine at a Lakewood, New Jersey, ice cream manufacturing plant, a recent federal safety and health inspection found the company continued to ignore protocols designed to prevent other …

Three Injured in Gas Line Explosion in Northern Virginia

Three people were injured in a gas line explosion on Wednesday which also set three vehicles on fire and caused damage to a house in a northern Virginia city. News outlets report Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said on its …

No Increase in Average Washington Workers’ Comp in 2021

For the first time in two decades, Washington workers’ compensation rates have dropped or stayed steady for four years in a row. The state Department of Labor & Industries on Monday announced there will be no increase for the average …

Scholarship Organization Forms in Maine to Assist Children of Injured Workers

Representatives of employers, organized labor, insurance companies, plaintiff’s attorneys, medical providers and defense attorneys have formed Kids’ Chance of Maine to provide scholarships to the children of workers who have been seriously injured or killed on the job. The Maine …

California Workers’ Comp Medical Dispute Resolution Letters Rose Last Year, Study Shows

After dipping for the first time ever in 2017, the number of workers’ comp medical dispute decision letters rose to an all-time high in 2018, according to a California Workers’ Compensation Institute study on the Independent Medical Review process used …

California State Fund Reports Increase in Net Income in 2018

California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund reported an increase of net income and written premium in its just-released annual report for 2018. Financial highlights of the 2018 annual report include: Net income of $187 million, up from $40 million the previous …

California Written Workers’ Comp Premium Down, Quarterly Report for Last Year Shows

California written premium for 2018 was 4 percent below 2017 and 6 percent below 2016 as recent declining premium rates have more than offset payroll growth, according to a report from the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California. The …

California Hits 2 Companies with $4.3M Fine for Improperly Selling Workers’ Comp

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Wednesday imposed a $4.3 million penalty on American Labor Alliance and CompOne USA for selling workers’ compensation and liability policies to employers of farmworkers without being properly licensed with the California Department of Insurance. …

Idaho Workers’ Compensation Rates to Decrease in 2019

The Idaho Department of Insurance has proved a 4.2 percent drop in workers’ compensation insurance rates effective Jan. 1, 2019. The proposed rate change comes from the National Council on Compensation Insurance, and is a function of declining claim costs, …