Workers Comp

A Colorado contractor who was cited by safety regulators last summer after a teenage worker died after being struck by a chunk of asphalt at an excavation site has once again been cited by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA on Wednesday announced a citation against Commerce City-based GoldStar Excavation and Sewer after …

Colorado contractor previously cited over teen death faces new OSHA citation Read More »

Months after Gov. Kathy Hochul in New York signed a bill aimed at protecting warehouse workers from unfair quotas that increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, lawmakers have introduced a second bill that would require companies to develop safety initiatives to prevent injuries. S.B. 5081, introduced Tuesday, would bolster requirements set by S.B. …

NY lawmakers introduce another bill to protect warehouse workers Read More »

Average annual commercial insurance premium increases accelerated to 8.8% during the first quarter of 2023, up from 8% during the previous quarter, with commercial property rate hikes far outpacing other lines, according to a report Wednesday from the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. By account size, the Council’s quarterly report showed large accounts with …

Property insurance price surge leads rate hikes Read More »

Oregon’s governor has signed into law a measure that permits physician assistants to treat injured employees in workers compensation claims. Gov. Tina Kotek on Tuesday signed into law House Bill 3412, which authorizes physician assistants to provide the same level of services as nurse practitioners for workers comp patients in a managed care organization setting. …

Physician assistants can treat comp patients under new Oregon law Read More »

A federal court has determined that a former Alabama convenience store employee shot while walking to his vehicle after his shift ended can recover damages from his employer’s insurer.   In a Monday decision, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama ruled State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. must indemnify owners of …

Shot worker can recover judgment from State Farm: Court Read More »

While obesity is considered one of the top comorbidities among injured workers that can impede their recovery, and insurers and employers have funded weight loss surgeries, the workers compensation industry is unlikely to cover increasingly popular and less-invasive weight loss pills, experts say. Semaglutide, which goes by brand names Ozempic and WeGovy, is a diabetes …

Diet drugs trend unlikely to make it to comp Read More »

The Massachusetts attorney general’s office has reached a $6.15 million settlement with CVS Pharmacy Inc. to resolve allegations that the retail pharmacy failed in some instances to follow prescription pricing procedures designed to keep costs down and prevent overcharges in the workers compensation system. The state claimed CVS billed and was paid for prescription drugs in excess …

CVS settles with Massachusetts over workers comp pricing allegations Read More »

The number of independent medical reviews in California hit an all-time low in 2022, with 127,215 letters from injured workers challenging the denial of treatment or medications in the workers compensation system, according to a report issued Friday by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. The report also found that independent medical reviews upheld 91.1% of …

Medical treatment review requests continue to decline in Calif. Read More »

Despite continued declines in insurer rates, California’s worker compensation written premium in 2022 was 14% higher than 2021, and at approximately the pre-pandemic level, according to a first-quarter 2023 report released Friday by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California. WCIRB said the increase was driven by higher employee wage levels and the economic …

California written premium on upswing Read More »

The Oregon Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed an earlier decision that found a school worker’s lawsuit over an injury she suffered while watching children on the playground, ruling that the woman may sue the district over an injury that was deemed not compensable. Linda Jean Preble was working as an educational assistant for the …

Oregon appeals says injured school worker can sue Read More »