Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines

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

New York Company to Pay $200K in Penalties for Safety Violations

Jul 24 2020 // A home and personal care fabric products manufacturer will correct hazards at its five manufacturing facilities in New York and pay $200,000 in penalties to resolve safety violations after an investigation by the U.S....

Virus Outbreak at Iowa Pork Plant Was Larger than Reported by State

Jul 23 2020 // The first confirmed coronavirus outbreak at an Iowa meatpacking plant was far more severe than previously known, with more than twice as many workers becoming infected than the state Department of Public Health told the...

Connecticut State Trooper Charged with Workers’ Comp Fraud, Larceny

Jul 23 2020 // A Moosup, Conn., man has been arrested and charged with illegally collecting workers’ compensation benefits while being employed as a Connecticut state trooper.Kevin Moore, age 41, was arrested by inspectors from the...

Travelers Reports Q2 Loss on Catastrophes, Investments; Only Modest COVID Impact

Jul 23 2020 // The Travelers Companies reported a net loss of $40 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, compared to net income of $557 million in the prior year quarter. The insurer said the difference was primarily due to higher...

Liberty Mutual Loses Bid to Charge Employer for Claims Paid from Exempt Workers

Jul 22 2020 // A workers’ compensation insurer cannot charge an employer an extra $1.7 million in premiums for the risk presented by employees who were exempt from coverage under Iowa’s workers’ compensation law, a...

Dulich Added to California Workers’ Comp Ethics Advisory Committee

Jul 21 2020 // California Division of Workers’ Compensation Administrative Director George Parisotto has appointed Jill A. Dulich to serve as a member of the Workers’ Compensation Ethics Advisory Committee.Dulich will fill...

Insurers Score a Win in Texas Air Ambulance Fee Dispute

Jul 16 2020 // State law prevails in disputes between insurers and an air ambulance service over reimbursements under the Texas workers’ compensation system, the state’s highest court recently ruled.In Texas Mutual Insurance...

3 Workers Injured at West Virginia Chemical Plant

Jul 15 2020 // Three workers have been injured at a West Virginia chemical plant, officials said. The incident happened Sunday evening at the Westlake Chemical plant, which produces chlorine, news outlets reported. Details of what...

Report: Sharp Drop in California Workers’ Comp Premiums Expected from COVID-19

Jul 14 2020 // A sharp drop in 2020 workers’ compensation premiums in California is expected with the COVID-19 pandemic-related job losses, a report out today shows.The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of...

Ohio Roofing Contractor Faces $148K in Fines for Alleged Safety Violations

Jul 14 2020 // Federal officials say a Dublin, Ohio-based roofing contractor is facing penalties of more than $148,000 after being cited for workplace safety violations.The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health...

Texas Company Cited After Employee Fatalities; Fined Nearly $500K

Jul 14 2020 // A company in Pasadena, Texas, has been cited by federal officials and faces penalties of almost $500,000 for exposing employees to confined space hazards after two workers died.The U.S. Department of Labor’s...

Next Showdown in Congress: Protecting Workers vs. Protecting Employers in Pandemic

Jul 14 2020 // Congressional leaders are squaring off over the next pandemic relief bill in a debate over whom Congress should step up to protect: front-line workers seeking more safeguards from the ravages of COVID-19 or beleaguered...

Former Owner of Cleaning Company Charged with Workers’ Comp Fraud

Jul 14 2020 // The former owner of a Massachusetts cleaning company has been charged with wage theft and workers’ compensation insurance fraud, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced.Marcello Pompa, of Saugus,...

California Workers’ Comp Self-Insured Claims Flat in 2019, But Incurred Losses Rose $35M

Jul 13 2020 // California workers’ compensation private self-insured claim frequency was relatively stable in 2019 as the incidence of medical-only and lost-time claims registered only marginal declines after increasing in 2017 and...

P/C Insurance Survey: 55% Back Worker Presumption; 54% See Interrupt Cases Failing

Jul 13 2020 // A slight majority (54%) of property /casualty insurance industry professionals think insurers will succeed in defeating legal and political attempts to force them to pay business interruption claims from the coronavirus...

Essential Workers With COVID-19 Face Workers’ Compensation Uncertainty

Jul 13 2020 // Lauded for their service and hailed as everyday heroes, essential workers who get the coronavirus on the job have no guarantee in most states they’ll qualify for workers’ compensation to cover lost wages and...

Illinois Candy Company Fined $485K for Workplace Injuries

Jul 9 2020 // A Chicago-area candy company has been fined nearly $500,000 for workplace injuries, including a fingertip amputation, federal regulators said.The incidents occurred at Ferrara Candy in Bellwood, Ill. An employee lost a...

Worker Injured at Construction Site Can Sue Under Massachusetts’ Statute of Limitations

Jul 8 2020 // A worker injured at a Massachusetts construction site can sue under the state’s three-year statute of limitations despite being a resident of Connecticut, a Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled. The decision...

Injured Workers Pharmacy Will Pay $11M to Settle Complaint By Mass. AG’s Office

Jul 6 2020 // A mail-order pharmacy that fought frequent court battles against workers’ compensation insurers will pay $11 million and change its business practices to settle a civil complaint by the Massachusetts attorney...

Houston Pharmacist Gets 10 Years in $21M Workers’ Comp Fraud Case

Jul 6 2020 // A Houston pharmacist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in a $21 million workers’ compensation fraud case.George Philip Tompkins, 75, the self-proclaimed “Compound King” and former owner of Piney...