Workers Comp

Lawmakers in three states this week filed proposed legislation addressing cancer diagnoses for professional and volunteer firefighters. Nebraska lawmakers on Tuesday introduced Legislature Bill 501, which would amend the workers compensation law to state that any cancer resulting in either temporary or permanent disability or death is recognized as an occupational disease and compensable under …

Comp bills addressing firefighter cancer filed in three states Read More »

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday issued safety citations to Amazon Inc. and issued hazard alert letters after inspections at three warehouses found workers exposed to ergonomic hazards.  U.S. Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said on a conference call Wednesday that the multi-facility investigation at the three …

OSHA hits Amazon with sweep of inspections, citations Read More »

New York lawmakers have proposed amending the state’s workers compensation law to make work-related opioid overdose deaths a compensable claim. Assembly Bill 1499, filed Tuesday, states that the death of an injured worker due to opioid overdose would be compensable in situations where the injured worker was prescribed the painkilling drug as a result of …

New York bill would make work-related opioid overdose deaths compensable Read More »

Lawmakers in Connecticut will consider a second bill that would amend the state’s workers compensation law permitting post-traumatic stress disorder as a compensable injury to all workers who witness certain adverse events. S.B. 491, filed Wednesday, follows S.B. 91, which was filed Jan. 12. Both bills would amend the state’s law on benefits for police …

Lawmakers double down on PTSD benefits for all workers Read More »

Nearly a dozen states this year have introduced legislation to expand or enhance workers compensation benefits for employees who suffer mental injuries by presuming they are suffered in the course of their work. “The trend will continue,” said Brian Allen, Salt Lake City-based vice president of government affairs, pharmacy solutions, for Mitchell International Inc., a …

Wave of PTSD legislation introduced Read More »

Bills allowing certain types of alternative medical treatment, including telemedicine counseling sessions, in workers compensation cases were introduced Thursday by New York lawmakers. Assembly Bill 1014 would permit injured workers receiving comp benefits to participate in telehealth services for psychological testing, treatment and counseling by psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical social workers. A second measure, Assembly …

New York proposes allowing alternative treatments in comp Read More »

An Illinois appeals court has reinstated the workers compensation benefits of a crossing guard injured in a slip-and-fall incident, ruling that a lower court was wrong to overturn the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission’s awarding of medical benefits in the case.  The First District Appellate Court of Illinois, Workers’ Compensation Commission Division Thursday determined that the …

Court reinstates injured crossing guard’s comp benefits Read More »

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to a New England energy provider for two willful and three serious violations following a worker’s death this past summer. OSHA proposed $333,560 in fines against Massachusetts-based Eversource Energy Service Co. following an investigation into the July 12, 2022, workplace fatality.  An employee who was performing maintenance …

New England electricity provider cited after worker’s death Read More »

Oklahoma and Nebraska joined the list of states aiming to revamp procedures for addressing post-traumatic stress disorders for first responders. S.B. 333, prefiled in Oklahoma for consideration on Feb. 6, states that the limits on a mental injury or illness that is not caused by a physical injury to the employee shall not apply to …

Two more states address PTSD for first responders Read More »

Oklahoma lawmakers are set to consider a bill that would provide limits on when a cumulative trauma workers compensation claim can be filed. S.B. 411, scheduled to be introduced Feb. 6, would amend state law to say the “date of injury for cumulative trauma shall be the last date of injurious exposure prior to the …

Oklahoma lawmakers seek parameters on cumulative trauma Read More »