Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines

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

Report: Ibuprofen Now Most Heavily Used Drug in California Workers’ Comp

Jun 9 2022 // New data shows the types of drugs used to treat injured workers in California, and the distribution of payments for those medications, has shifted over the past decade, with opioids becoming far less prevalent and...

OSHA Investigates Death of Maine Worker in Structure Collapse

Jun 8 2022 // ROCKLAND, Maine — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a worker who was trapped when a structure collapsed. Workers were demolishing an attached garage when the structure...

Texas Division of Workers’ Comp Approves Return-to-Work Plan-Based Audit

Jun 8 2022 // On April 13 the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) solicited and received constructive input from workers’ compensation system participants on the proposed Return-to-Work...

A Look at OSHA’s Top 10 Safety Violations

Jun 8 2022 // Workers’ compensation claims can result directly from worksite conditions, whether in construction, manufacturing, distribution, office or other environments. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)...

Report: California Workers’ Comp Written Premium for 2021 Down 2%

Jun 6 2022 // California written premium for 2021 was 2% below 2020 and 14% below 2019, a new report shows.The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California issued released its quarterly experience report, an update...

Texas Division of Workers’ Comp Seeks Comments on Designated Doctor Rules

Jun 3 2022 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) informed workers’ comp system participants this week of proposals for a second set of amendments to 28 Texas Administrative Code (TAC)...

‘Pay-As-You-Go’ Workers’ Compensation MGA Hourly Raises $27 Million

Jun 2 2022 // Workers’ compensation insurtech Hourly has raised $27 million in a series A seed round.The platform lets employers with hourly workers run payroll, track time and attendance, and manage workers’ compensation...

Workpartners Expands Workers’ Comp Program to Florida

Jun 2 2022 // Workpartners, which describes itself as a data-informed, human capital-management firm, has expanded its workers’ compensation program into Florida, the company said this week. The firm, part of the University of...

Covid-19 Led to 20% Increase in Texas Workers’ Comp Claims

Jun 1 2022 // The number of workers’ compensation claims reported to the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) increased 20% during the first 27 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020...

Report: California Workers’ Comp Written Premium for 2021 Down 2%

May 26 2022 // California written premium for 2021 was 2% below 2020 and 14% below 2019, a new report shows.The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California issued released its quarterly experience report, an update...

Texas Division of Workers’ Comp Accepting Public Comment on 3 Forms

May 23 2022 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) announced it is accepting public comments on three proposed new forms: DWC Form-003, Employer’s Wage Statement. This form is necessary...

Chiropractic Care Linked to Lower Injured Workers’ Costs, Faster Return to Work

May 20 2022 // Chiropractors are involved in only a small fraction of workers’ compensation claims for low back pain in states where insurers or employers control the choice of medical provider, but a report released this week...

Texas Division of Workers’ Comp Adopts Income Benefits Form

May 19 2022 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) said it has adopted a new form: DWC Form-033, Request to Reduce Income Benefits Due to Contribution (DWC Form-033), effective immediately....

California Business Owners Arraigned for Workers’ Comp Fraud

May 18 2022 // Three California business owners were arraigned for insurance fraud this week after an investigation reportedly showed they illegally conspired to lower workers’ compensation premiums.Troy Williams, 49, of Angels...

Workers’ Comp Claims from 10 Years of Legal Cannabis in Colorado Reveal a Boring Trend

May 16 2022 // Data on injured workers from the nation’s most mature adult-use cannabis market is pretty boring. No excessive claims resulting from injuries suffered by stoned forklift drivers, high cultivators, or even dispensary...

Rhode Island High Court Revisits Exception to Workers’ Comp ‘Going-and-Coming’ Rule

May 12 2022 // The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently revisited the “going-and-coming” rule that generally excludes workers’ compensation benefits where an injured worker is traveling to or from work. The court has...

OSHA Warns South Central Employers Not to Ignore Heat Dangers

May 12 2022 // As temperatures rise in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reminds employers and workers not to ignore the dangers of working in hot...

Claims Frequency Up for 2021, but Workers’ Comp Profitability ‘Unprecedented’

May 11 2022 // For the first time in more than a decade, workers’ compensation claims frequency, outside of COVID-19 illness claims, increased in the United States last year.But not to worry, the trend won’t last, and the...

OSHA Fines Oil Company $454K in North Dakota Explosion

May 10 2022 // An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that an oil company’s failure to take adequate safety precautions contributed to a drilling site explosion...

OSHA Fines Florida Utility $500,000 for Power Plant Deaths of Five Workers

May 9 2022 // A Florida power company has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine for a 2017 explosion that left five workers dead.Tampa Electric Co. has pleaded guilty to violating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard,...