Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines

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

Facing Workers Compensation Challenges During the Pandemic: NCCI

Jun 9 2020 // The COVID-19 pandemic has upended lives, families, business routines, and the economy. Today, despite an uptick in May, 21 million people are unemployed in the United States, and the workforce has dropped to 137 million....

Commercial Lines Prices Rose 6% in Q1- Except Workers’ Compensation

Jun 9 2020 // U.S. commercial insurance prices climbed more than 6 percent in aggregate during the 2020 first quarter compared to the year, Willis Towers Watson’s pricing survey for the sector.Price increases surpassed 6 percent...

As Doctors Prescribe Fewer Opioids for Injured Workers, What Do They Offer Instead?

Jun 4 2020 // The good news is that doctors are less likely to prescribe opioids to injured workers than they were years ago. They have come to recognize that the pain medications have been overprescribed, causing addictions and deaths...

N.J. Construction Companies Cited for Safety Hazards Facing $148K in Penalties

Jun 3 2020 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited AA&B Builders Inc. and Ebenezer General Construction Excavating for exposing employees to safety hazards on a worksite...

Texas Workers’ Comp Division Issues Data Call for COVID-19 Injuries

Jun 2 2020 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has issued a mandatory data call for certain information related to COVID-19 injuries reported to selected insurance carriers on or after...

California Lowers Workers’ Comp COVID Estimate; Expects Claims Drop in Downturn

Jun 1 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California on Monday released a study looking at the historic impact of economic downturns on workers’ comp claim frequency and the potential impact of...

Georgia Nursing Home Cited for Delayed Reporting of Virus-Infected Workers

Jun 1 2020 // The federal agency that oversees workplace safety said Friday that it had issued its first citation in the U.S. related to the coronavirus outbreak: against a Georgia nursing home that delayed reporting the hospitalization...

Study: Sharp Drop in California Workers’ Comp Independent Medical Reviews

Jun 1 2020 // The number of Independent Medical Review determination letters, a process used to resolve California workers’ compensation medical disputes, fell sharply in prescription drug disputes by 11.3% from 2018 to 2019, with...

California Workers’ Comp Bureau Lowers Mid-Range Estimate of COVID Costs by $10B

Jun 1 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California published estimated costs of allowing state workers to receive benefits for COVID-19 claims without proving virus exposure at work, dropping a prior...

How COVID-19 Is Changing Insurance for Schools

Jun 1 2020 // Lilian A. Vanvieldt, senior vice president, educational entities practice leader, for Alliant, has spent more than three decades insuring schools across the country. Her book spans from small school districts to very large...

OSHA Cites, Fines Texas Chemical Plant Owner $514.6K After Explosions, Fire

May 28 2020 // A chemical manufacturer has been cited by federal officials for workplace safety hazards and fined more than $500,000 after a fire and explosions at its Port Neches, Texas, plant in November 2019.The U.S. Department of...

Workers’ Compensation Insurtech Pie Raises $127 Million With Plan to Acquire Carriers

May 28 2020 // Workers’ compensation provider Pie Insurance announced the closing of $127 million in new financing and capital commitments.Gallatin Point Capital joined the insurtech’s current investors in the capital raise,...

Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Medical Fee Schedule Approved

May 27 2020 // The Oklahoma Legislature has adopted a proposed new Medical Fee Schedule, the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) reported.The WCC had submitted in House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1028; it goes into effect...

South Dakota Bull Facility Faces $122.6K in Penalties After Employee Dies

May 27 2020 // A South Dakota bull stud facility faces penalties of more than $122,000 after being cited by federal officials following a worker fatality.The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration...

California Workers’ Comp Bureau Lowers Mid-Range Estimate of COVID Costs by $10B

May 26 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California published estimated costs of allowing state workers to receive benefits for COVID-19 claims without proving virus exposure at work, dropping a prior...

Workers’ Lawsuit Against McDonald’s Seeks Safety Measures, Not Damages

May 26 2020 // As U.S. businesses reopen, worried workers and their advocates are borrowing a legal strategy commonly used to shut down rowdy topless bars to try and force employers to strengthen protection against further spread of the...

Workers Worry Over Enforcement of Meatpacking Plant Safety Recommendations

May 22 2020 // Federal recommendations meant to keep meatpacking workers safe as they return to plants that were shuttered by the coronavirus have little enforcement muscle behind them, fueling anxiety that working conditions could put...

Retaliation Claim Against Delaware Law Firm Over Softball Injury Nixed

May 22 2020 // A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against a Delaware law firm filed by a paralegal who claims he was targeted for retaliation after being injured while playing on the law firm’s softball team and filing a...

SUNZ Insurance Solutions in Florida Names Leonard as President

May 22 2020 // Rick Leonard, former director of Sales and executive vice president with SUNZ Insurance Solutions, has been appointed president of the company.Leonard has been with SUNZ, a national provider of workers’ compensation...

Service American, Tangram Insurance Partner on Workers’ Comp Program

May 21 2020 // Service American Indemnity Co. (SAIC), a national workers’ compensation carrier, is partnering with Tangram Insurance Services Inc. (Tangram), a managing general underwriter and program manager, to enhance...