Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday signed legislation to permit workers compensation claimants to refuse offers of modified employment in certain situations. The legislation, House Bill 1220, allows employees who receive temporary total disability benefits for a work injury to refuse an employer’s offer of modified employment if the offer requires the person to commute …
A federal judge has halted a lawsuit by a civilian U.S. Navy engineer who alleges she was raped while working aboard a naval ship because of questions over workers compensation exclusive remedy. U.S. District Judge Edward Kiel, of the District of New Jersey, granted on Tuesday a motion by the federal government to stay a …
Judge stays Navy rape suit because of questions over comp exclusivity Read More »
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday that it cited a New Jersey construction contractor for exposing workers to deadly fall hazards. OSHA cited Long Branch-based Road Contractor Corp. for 32 safety violations and proposed $819,417 in penalties following eight inspections in Evesham, Freehold, Manalapan, Marlton, Mullica Hill and Rumson as part of …
Construction company faces $819K in OSHA penalties Read More »
A hospital worker who says she contracted tuberculosis at work but was denied workers compensation benefits should have been permitted to pursue her claim, the Hawaii Intermediate Appeals Court ruled Tuesday. The court vacated a state Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board decision affirming an administrative finding that a claim filed by Teresa Weis was …
Hospital worker’s tuberculosis claim denial administratively improper: Court Read More »
Commercial property insurance policyholders with good loss records will likely see flat renewals to 10% increases for the remainder of this year, but the liability rating environment will likely remain tougher, according to USI Insurance Services LLC. In a report issued Tuesday, the brokerage said property rates are finally stabilizing. “After the most challenging property …
Property outlook stable; liability lines challenging: USI Read More »
Employers, insurers and claimants should start planning for changes to how Medicare’s liabilities are accounted for in workers compensation settlements, experts say. The changes, which will remove the reporting threshold in settlements that include Medicare set-asides and define penalty amounts, could increase the likelihood of significant fines for noncompliance and prolong settlement negotiations, they say. …
Medicare set-aside reporting rule signals major change for comp Read More »
Clara Analytics Inc., a Sunnyvale, California-based developer of artificial intelligence technology for the insurance industry, said Tuesday it has released Clara Fraud, a platform that works to increase visibility into suspicious workers compensation claims. The AI product helps claims professionals uncover fraudulent activity and provides alerts to enable insurers to more easily refer suspicious claims …
AI developer unveils platform to uncover comp fraud Read More »
Mental stress and burnout, which experts recently said are contributing to higher workplace injury rates, are some of the top reasons nurses are leaving the health care profession, according to a research study published in the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, a journal of the American Nurses Association. The findings, published Friday, found that …
Workplace mental health linked to nurses quitting: Study Read More »
The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Monday ordered a retail service management company to respond within 14 days to a sanctions award in a contractual dispute with American Zurich Insurance Co. over workers compensation policy language. The court said Dallas-based Sun Holdings Inc. must address why it continues to ignore an order to …
Policyholder must address sanctions in contract dispute with Zurich Read More »
A trial judge was permitted to calculate monetary restitution in a workers compensation criminal fraud case, despite the defendant arguing that the decision should have been left to jurors, the Alaska Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The appellate court said a judge did not err in ordering Scott Abraham Groom to pay $259,881.12 in restitution …
Judge was permitted to calculate comp fraud restitution: Appeals court Read More »