- Integrate Mental Health Counseling with Wellness, Workers' CompThis Society For Human Resource Management paper advises employers to consider coordinating employee assistance program counseling with workers compensation claims management.
- OSHA pushes temporary employee safety to reduce fatalitiesLAS VEGAS — The Occupational Health and Safety Administration is pushing companies to educate temporary employees about proper safety procedures due to a number of temporary worker fatalities in recent months, a senior OSHA official said.
- Workers comp pricing to improve throughout 2013: FitchWith little sign that rising workers compensation pricing trends will reverse in the near term, insurer results will continue to improve during the remainder of 2013, according to Fitch Ratings Inc.
- Del. bill requires listing job options for hurt workersWorkers compensation reform legislation headed for Delaware Gov. Jack Markell’s office would impose more responsibility on insurers to ensure employers provide doctors with lists of jobs available for injured employees.
- Workers comp-related medical payments higher than others: WCRIMedical payments made in relation to workers compensation-related treatments are typically higher than group health medical payments in a majority of states, according to a study released Friday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
- SOLUTION ARC: Employers can use a managed care approach to reduce workers compensation costsBusiness Insurance’s latest Solution Arc explores managed care pitfalls and the cost drivers, and details how to manage and properly implement managed care programs to achieve desired outcomes.
- Former NFL Saints, Bengals player cannot collect workers comp in Calif.A California workers compensation judge erred in awarding benefits to a former National Football League player who was covered under his team’s Ohio workers comp policy, the California Workers Compensation Appeals Board has ruled.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Detailed protocols can help reduce workers comp costs: SHRM speakerCHICAGO — Human resource managers can help reduce workers compensation costs by devising written plans that document each step of the comp process and effectively communicating expectations to injured employees, a consultant said Wednesday.
- Social Security disability applications fall, but payments rise: SurveyWhile the number of long-term disability claimants fell slightly in 2012, total claim payments among member disability insurers grew for a fifth straight year to $9.4 billion, the Council for Disability Awareness said Tuesday.
- Third-party administrators taking managed care in-houseWorkers compensation third-party administrators are building their own managed care operations, a trend that may or may not benefit claims payers.
- Comp exclusive remedy, Human Rights Act bar gay man's harassment suitA man allegedly subjected to harassment at work about his sexual orientation cannot sue his former employer for negligence because workers compensation exclusive remedy provisions and the Human Rights Act bar his lawsuit, an Illinois appellate court has…
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Rising indemnity, severity cited in proposed 16.9% N.Y. comp rate planA proposal to raise New York workers compensation rates by 16.9% is based in part on increasing indemnity and medical claim severity, according to the New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board.
- Walgreen in record $80M settlement over painkillers(Reuters) — Walgreen Co., the largest U.S. drugstore chain, has agreed to pay $80 million in civil penalties to resolve allegations that it violated federal rules governing the distribution of prescription painkillers.
- Texas contract worker who lost arm limited to workers comp remedy: CourtExclusive remedy rules prevent a contract employee whose arm was amputated in an on-the-job accident from suing the city he was working for at the time, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled.
- Appeals court to reconsider RICO claims against Sedgwick, Coca-ColaA federal appeals court is scheduled to reconsider allegations that Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. and Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in settling workers compensation claims.
- OFF BEAT: Comedian Jim Carrey takes workers comp seriouslyIt turns out that actor and funnyman Jim Carrey did indeed pay for workers comp insurance.
- NIOSH establishes Center for Workers’ Compensation StudiesThe National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has launched a new Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies to analyze trends in work-related injuries and illnesses.
- PTSD must arise from physical injury to qualify for Ohio comp benefitsA mental condition such as post-traumatic stress disorder is compensable under Ohio workers compensation law only when it is caused by a physical injury, the state’s Supreme Court has ruled.
- Okla. law could create template for deregulating workers comp nationwideOklahoma’s new law allowing employers to exit the state’s statutory workers compensation system could create a template for deregulating workers comp nationwide, concludes a white paper released Tuesday.
- OFF BEAT: Price is all wrong for workers comp fraudsterA spin on “The Price is Right” resulted in a workers compensation fraud conviction this week for a former mail carrier who reportedly was caught spinning the show’s “Big Wheel” in spite of her work injury.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Worker safety can improve with behavior-based programsBehavior-based safety programs can help companies encourage safe behaviors among their employees and reduce workers compensation claim frequency and severity, a behavior expert said Tuesday at a meeting of risk management and safety professionals.
- Employer opt-out provision part of Oklahoma work comp reform billOklahoma lawmakers on Monday unveiled a widely anticipated bill that would allow employers to opt out of the state’s workers compensation system, among other sweeping reforms.
- Employers can have ‘dual persona’ that trumps exclusive remedy: CourtSouth Carolina employers that acquire other companies could be sued for tort claims under the state’s workers compensation law if they assume third-party liabilities in a merger, the South Carolina Supreme Court said Wednesday.
- California’s state workers comp fund names COOCalifornia’s State Compensation Insurance Fund announced the appointment of Beatriz Sanchez as the insurer’s chief operating officer.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Workers compensation auditor accused of defrauding employerA West Virginia workers compensation auditor is accused of defrauding his employer, BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co., after he allegedly allowed clients to underreport payroll to the Charleston, W.Va.-based insurer.
- Healthcare Solutions names COO Joe Boures as presidentHealthcare Solutions Inc. has named Joe Boures as president, expanding on his current role as chief operating officer, the parent company of Cypress Care, ScripNet Inc. and Procura Management Inc. said in a statement Tuesday.
- Previous go-cart rulings a no-go in work comp case: Kansas high courtKansas’ Supreme Court has reversed previous legal rulings that found in favor of a worker seeking workers compensation benefits for injuries sustained while driving a go-cart during a company-sponsored event.
- Yoga may become an alternative to pain meds in workers comp claimsYoga is flexing its way into the workers compensation world.
- UP CLOSE: Chris MandelNASHVILLE, TENN.-BASED SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS
- Privileged informationIn In Re: XL Specialty Insurance Co. and Cambridge Integrated Services Group Inc., an outside counsel for XL shared information about a workers comp claim with Cambridge, which was XL’s adjuster, and the employer.
- Montana, Texas employers seek to overturn attorney-client privilege rulingsEmployers in Texas and Montana are expected to seek a legislative fix for state Supreme Court rulings that have restricted employers’ access to legal information in some workers compensation cases.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- N.C. work comp law protects Wal-Mart in wrongful death suitThe estate of a Wal-Mart store greeter who died after a loss-control employee and an alleged shoplifter collided with her cannot sue the giant retailer for wrongful death, the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Pennsylvania workers comp fund could see $6.5M reductionPennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett aims to reduce funding for the state’s Workmen’s Compensation Administration Fund by $6.5 million during the 2013-2014 budget year, according to a proposed budget posted online.
- Texas Mutual president and CEO to retire, successor namedTexas Mutual Insurance Co. has announced the retirement of its president and CEO, Ron Wright.
- Despite law to control costs, Calif.’s compound drug payments rose 68%Compound drug dispensing in California’s workers compensation system fell by 35%, but the average per-prescription payment rose 68.2%, from $460 to $774, after implementation of a 2012 law aimed at controlling pharmaceutical compounding.
- Obesity, diabetes not pre-existing conditions that allow for benefitsAn injured worker’s diabetes and obesity do not qualify as pre-existing conditions that would allow the New York Special Disability Fund to reimburse her employer for workers compensation benefits, a New York appellate court ruled last week.
- 62% of older workers plan to delay retirement: AnalysisThe percentage of older workers planning to hold off on retiring has increased 20 points within the past two years, according to a business research association analysis released Friday.
- Workers compensation reform a top priority for Tennessee governorTennessee Gov. Bill Haslam’s 2013 legislative priorities include reforming the state’s workers compensation system.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Oregon workers comp bill proposes alternative claims backstopSelf-insured employers in Oregon could use an alternative security deposit system to guarantee payment of workers compensation claims under legislation requested by the Oregon Self-Insurers Association.
- Sedgwick Claims Management Services names chief operating officerSedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. has named Steven E. Penman as its chief operating officer.
- Kansas undocumented workers can receive workers comp benefits: CourtKansas workers compensation law allows undocumented workers to receive benefits if they were injured prior to state comp reforms enacted in 2011, the Kansas Supreme Court has ruled.
- Florida’s workers comp medical reimbursement disputes up fourfoldFlorida saw a nearly fourfold increase in medical reimbursement disputes for workers compensation cases in its most recent fiscal year, driven largely by reimbursement petitions for physician-dispensed prescription medications, according to the Florida…
- SOLUTION ARC: How employers can manage difficult claims-adjusting challengesBusiness Insurance’s latest Solution Arc details how to manage the workers compensation claims adjuster’s evolving role, and how to improve claims management performance.
- SMART Act could speed settlement of workers comp claims in 2013The recently passed Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers Act could help speed the settlement of workers compensation claims in 2013, industry observers say.
- UP CLOSE: Tom Phelan
- Stand-alone, excess workers comp market presents challenges for buyersThe stand-alone, excess workers compensation market is presenting significant challenges for some buyers, as insurers demand higher attachment points and higher prices.
- Sandy Hook shooting may spur workers comp reforms in ConnecticutAfter last month’s Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., the state is expected to weigh whether to expand the presumption of workers compensation coverage to first responders who suffer psychological trauma.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- Missouri legislators consider reforms to Second Injury FundMissouri legislators are considering reforms to the state’s Second Injury Fund after a recent audit showed the fund as having a $25 million deficit.
Workers Compensation Press Updates
- N.Y. governor’s budget includes workers compensation system reformsNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo presented his 2013-2014 budget and legislative agenda on Tuesday, that include a call to increase workers compensation benefits and implement system reforms.
- Temporary employee entitled to maximum workers comp benefit: CourtAn injured worker’s temporary employment status should not prevent him from receiving the maximum workers compensation benefit multiplier allowed under Tennessee law, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
- OFF BEAT: DA’s investigator nailed in workers comp fraud schemeThe potential wrongdoers that the Fresno County District Attorney’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Division pursues includes doctors, lawyers, employers, insurance company employees and claimants, according to the California county’s website.
- IAIABC Survey: Medical Marijuana and Workers’ Compensation January 2013 JurisdictionThe International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions has compiled survey results on state medical marijuana regulations that apply to workers compensation cases.
- Late-term workers comp claim costs expected to grow: NCCIMore than 10% of the workers compensation medical benefit costs for injuries occurring this year will be paid for services provided more than two decades from now, according to NCCI Holdings Inc.
- Okla. lawmakers consider switch to administrative workers comp systemOklahoma legislators are set to consider a bill that would create an administrative authority over the state’s workers compensation system.
- Anesthesiologist wins disability benefits for opioid addictionA group insurer must provide long-term disability benefits for a hospital staff anesthesiologist addicted to an opioid pain medication commonly used in her anesthesia practice, a federal court ruled on Thursday.