Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines

All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Florida Man Sentenced for Role In Workers’ Compensation Fraud Conspiracy

Nov 21 2023 // A federal judge has sentenced Ramon Paz of Lakeland, Florida to 33 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud to avoid paying for workers’ compensation insurance.According to the U.S....

Study: Medical Payments to Treat Injured Workers in Texas Stable Over Five-Year Period

Nov 17 2023 // Medical payments to treat injured workers in Texas were stable from 2016 to 2021, according to a new study from the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).The study, CompScope Medical Benchmarks for Texas,...

OSHA Faults Pharmaceutical Manufacturer in Massachusetts Plant’s Fatal Explosion

Nov 17 2023 // A Newburyport, Massachusetts pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturer and its parent company could have prevented an employee’s death from an explosion but lacked the required safeguards in a chemical manufacturing...

In Pennsylvania, Workers’ Compensation Now Pays for CBD Oil Treatment

Nov 17 2023 // Eight months after it ruled that medical marijuana is covered under workers’ compensation, a Pennsylvania appeals court has concluded that an injured worker’s cost of CBD oil is also reimbursable.A Commonwealth...

Texas Department of Insurance Proposes Amendments to Benefit Texas Military Forces in Workers’ Comp System

Nov 16 2023 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation’s (DWC) General Counsel notified workers’ compensation system participants that DWC is proposing amendments to the Texas Administrative...

Connecticut Approves 10% Rate Reductions for Workers’ Compensation for 2024

Nov 16 2023 // Businesses in Connecticut will receive a nearly 10% decrease in rates for workers’ compensation insurance beginning on January 1, 2024.The Connecticut Insurance Department has approved an annual workers’...

Florida OIR Approves Record Workers’ Comp Rate Cut, Despite Roofers’ Concerns

Nov 15 2023 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and the state insurance commissioner have approved a 15.1% average decrease in workers’ compensation rates, despite calls from roofing contractors to freeze rates for a...

At SpaceX, Worker Injuries Soar in Elon Musk’s Rush to Mars

Nov 13 2023 // One windy night at Elon Musk’s SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas, Lonnie LeBlanc and his co-workers realized they had a problem.They needed to transport foam insulation to the rocket company’s main hangar but...

Georgia Law Officers Call for Full Salary Benefits Under Workers’ Comp

Nov 7 2023 // Georgia law enforcement leaders are urging state lawmakers to grant injured officers their full salaries while they recover, a move that could significantly alter the nature of workers’ compensation insurance.News...

Oregon OSHA Cites Contractor for Repeatedly Violating Fall Hazard Requirements

Oct 30 2023 // Oregon OSHA cited Forest Grove contractor J&K Roofing Co. $39,000 for repeatedly violating a requirement to provide protection to safeguard workers from fall hazards that could injure or kill them.The citation resulted...

Lawyers Argue Over Workers’ Compensation for Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old

Oct 30 2023 // Lawyers sparred in a Virginia courtroom Friday over whether a teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student should get only workers` compensation for her serious injuries.Abby Zwerner is suing Newport News Public Schools...

Suit by Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student Asks If Workers’ Compensation Is Enough

Oct 27 2023 // A heated debate has emerged about the once-unimaginable shooting of a teacher by her 6-year-old student: How should the school district take care of the teacher?Should she only get workers’ compensation for her...

Kentucky Approves 18th-straight Decrease in Workers’ Comp Loss Costs

Oct 26 2023 // Kentucky’s Insurance Commissioner has approved a 6.4% decrease in average workers’ compensation loss costs for the state, making it the 18th consecutive drop in costs for most Kentucky employers.“The...

Asbestos Wrongful Death Claim Allowed Against Employer as Workers’ Comp Exception

Oct 24 2023 // A Connecticut appeals court has revived a wrongful death claim that tests a narrow exception to the state law that makes workers’ compensation the exclusive remedy for most workplace deaths and injuries.Harold...

Markets/Coverages: Atlas General Announces Workers’ Comp Program With Sompo

Oct 19 2023 // National multi-line program administrator Atlas General Insurance Services, an RPS Company, announced the addition of a new workers’ compensation insurance program with Sompo International. This new platform includes...

OSHA Investigations Uncover 36 Violations at Tulsa Manufacturing Facility

Oct 17 2023 // A Tulsa, Oklahoma manufacturing facility exposed employees to struck-by hazards and identified 36 violations, including 25 serious safety violations of U.S. Department of Labor regulations, three federal workplace safety...

IAIABC Recognizes Eight Individuals for Outstanding Contributions to Workers’ Compensation Industry

Oct 17 2023 // The International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) recognized eight individuals for their service to the agency and the workers’ compensation industry at the agency’s 109th...

Former Washington NFL Player Denied Workers’ Compensation for Hip

Oct 17 2023 // Stuart Anderson, who played linebacker for the National Football League’s Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Commanders) in the mid-1980s, has lost his bid to collect workers’ compensation medical...

Report Examines 10-Year California Workers Comp Payment Trends

Oct 16 2023 // Average paid losses on California workers’ compensation lost-time claims fell immediately after legislative reforms of SB 863 took effect a decade ago, but then gradually increased up until the pandemic hit,...

Injured Worker Refuses Suitable Job Because He Opposed Vaccination

Oct 16 2023 // It was reasonable for an injured employee who is returning to work to refuse a job that accommodated his disability because he had personal and religious objections to getting a COVID-19 vaccine.The Virginia Workers’...