Workers Comp

CHICAGO – Insurance company leaders need to support, participate in and fund diversity programs to attract and maintain diverse workforces, a leading insurance industry diversity officer said. Creating inclusive work environments requires investments in data analytics and a willingness to take a nuanced approach to increasing diversity, said Ivy Kusinga, Philadelphia-based senior vice president and …

Executive leadership critical for successful diversity programs Read More »

Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC, which own more than 18,000 Dollar General discount stores in 47 states, are facing $1.6 million in new Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines after the agency claims the discount chain and its operator “again ignored federal workplace safety standards.” OSHA on Monday said the newest fines, stemming from …

Dollar General facing $1.6 million in OSHA fines Read More »

Workers compensation insurers have generated solid profits in recent years but face an uncertain future, credit rating agency A.M. Best said in a market segment report released Tuesday. Annual underwriting profit in the comp line of business averaged $4.8 billion over the last five years, “a level of profitability unmatched by any of the other …

Solid profits, uncertain future for comp line: A.M. Best Read More »

The New Mexico Court of Appeals said an injured worker wasn’t entitled to full reimbursement for his out-of-pocket medical cannabis costs because they exceeded the maximum payment allowed under the state’s medical fee schedule. Rodolfo Barrozo Jr. injured his wrists and elbows while working for grocery chain Albertsons Inc. and qualified for medical cannabis under the state’s …

Court upholds fee schedule cap on reimbursement for pot Read More »

A new report shows that medical inflation in workers compensation over the past decade has been modest, but one area to watch is costs paid to facilities, which make up the lion’s share of increases, according to experts. Between 2012 and 2021, workers comp medical costs increased nationally at an average of 2% a year, …

Facilities costs lead charge on medical inflation in comp Read More »

Twenty-four percent of COVID-19 workers compensation claimants have or had long COVID, according to a report released Monday by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Overall, 20% of non-hospitalized and 47% of hospitalized workers with admitted COVID-19 claims developed long COVID, according to the Boca Raton, Florida-based ratings agency. NCCI relied on claims data extending …

Nearly a quarter of COVID comp cases involve long COVID Read More »

(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc. must face a claim that it failed to protect New York City warehouse workers and their families from COVID-19, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday while dismissing the bulk of a 2020 lawsuit. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a federal judge’s ruling that said …

Amazon workers win partial revival of COVID-19 safety lawsuit Read More »

The Court of Appeal for the 1st District of Florida ruled that a worker’s claim for benefits for an alleged injury to his neck and back was not timely filed and that there were “serious gaps regarding causation in the hospital records.” In 2019 Eddy Bonhomme was employed by Staff Team Hotels Corp., a hotel …

Worker’s claim untimely, unsupported by evidence: Court Read More »

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined a Florida seawall and erosion repair company $46,409 following an investigation that found safety lapses after a diver drowned while removing sand with an industrial vacuum to restore an embankment. The April 4 incident was the result of Margate, Florida-based Erosion Barrier Installations Corp.’s failure to train divers …

OSHA cites Florida company after canal worker drowns Read More »

The Kentucky Department of Insurance approved a recommendation from the National Council on Compensation Insurance to reduce loss costs by an average of 6.8% across all class codes, representing the 17th consecutive loss cost decrease for the state. “The overall decrease shows the continuing decline in claim severity and frequency,” the department said in a …

Kentucky approves average 6.8% reduction in comp loss costs Read More »