This week on Work Comp Matters, Charles Rondeau of The Rondeau Law Firm called in for the first five minutes to talk about the appeal he filed in the District…

This week on Work Comp Matters, Steve and the guys talk about the Quest Diagnostic data breach that affects almost 12,000,000 people. Additionally, the guys report on the Work Comp…

This program provides a guide to handling cases of serious and willful misconduct of employers. Examining various reviews and practice hints, Frank Christine III, Esq. will offer a review of…

The Texas Division of Workers' Compensation announced that the gross annual payroll requirements for coverage of seasonal workers will increase 3.9% next year. Seasonal workers for agricultural companies with annual gross…

The New Jersey Commissioner of Banking and Insurance approved a 6.9% decrease in rates for workers' compensation policies incepting on or after Jan. 1. Average rate changes will vary by industry…

A New York appellate court ruled that the state workers’ compensation system did not have jurisdiction over a truck driver’s claim based on injuries he sustained in an out-of-state accident…

A New York appellate court upheld an award of benefits to the widow of a worker who died from COVID-19. Case: Miller v. Transdev Bus on Demand LLC, No. CV-23-0661, 10/10/2024,…

A Pennsylvania court rejected an injured worker's request to disqualify a vocational expert on the basis that the expert's correspondence indicated he was a certified disability management specialist after his…

The Idaho Supreme Court upheld the summary dismissal of an injured worker’s civil suit against his employer based on his injuries from a piece of farm equipment his employer had…

The Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission announced that maximum benefits for injuries, illnesses and deaths will increase 4.3% in January to match an increase in the state's average weekly wage. The state's…

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was not entitled to benefits for injuries from an alleged assault by a coworker. Case: Matter of Lebeau v. Meet Caregivers Inc.,…

The Colorado Division of Insurance announced a 4.3% average loss cost decrease for workers' compensation policies incepting in 2025. Loss costs are the average cost of lost wages and medical payments…

The Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice announced that a former state trooper who operated a silk-screening business while receiving temporary disability benefits pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny. Kevin Moore,…

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries announced that it opened rulemaking for ergonomic regulations that would apply to airline ground crews. State lawmakers in 2023 enacted Senate Bill 5217,…

A New York appellate court upheld the denial of a worker’s request for an extreme hardship redetermination. Case: Matter of Brown v. Plans Plus Ltd., No. CV-23-0250, 10/10/2024, published. Facts and procedural…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a finding that a worker was entitled to benefits for a back injury, and that he was entitled to a magnetic resonance imaging…

A New York appellate court upheld a determination that an injured worker was not entitled to an increase in his loss of wage-earning capacity after his claim was expanded to…

The Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that two injured workers could not back out of a settlement agreement they entered with their employer’s insurance carrier to satisfy the carrier’s subrogation…

The Nevada Workers’ Compensation Section opened registration for free online training classes that will be held in January. The WCS is holding a basic orientation session Jan. 8 that will cover…

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California Classification and Rating Committee is meeting Nov. 12. Committee members will review a draft report investigating the idea of a universal payroll limitation. The…

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was not entitled to summary judgment on one aspect of his Labor Law claim. Case: Urquia v. Deegan 135 Realty LLC,  No. 22340/19,…

A New York appellate court partially overturned a grant of summary judgment dismissing a defendant’s indemnification claim against an injured worker’s employer. Case: Cooper v. BLDG 7th Street LLC, Nos. 153479/18,…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld an award for a worker’s elbow injury from an on-the-job fall. Case: West Virginia United Health System Inc. v. DeWitt, No. 24-ICA-74, 10/28/2024, published. Facts:…

The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld a decision by the Workers’ Compensation Commission denying an employer’s successive application for a hearing as being unsupported by probable cause. In December 2022, Jessica…

CLARA Analytics announced that it hired Eugene Wong as chief financial officer. Eugene Wong Wong brings more than 15 years of finance and operating experience to his new role with the…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed three new members to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation. Gov. Gavin Newsom The governor appointed Jen Hamelin and Kristi Montoya to represent…

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that a company that supplies ingredients for compound drugs agreed to pay $21.75 million to resolve allegations that it falsely inflated average wholesale prices. The…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a finding of compensability for a worker’s back injury. Case: Toyota Motor Manufacturing WV Inc. v. Adkins, No. 24-ICA-181, 10/28/2024, unpublished. Facts: Donnie Adkins worked…

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law claim based on his injuries from a fall from a cement truck. Case:…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation will evaluate health care providers on two measures as part of its 2025 performance-based oversight assessment process. The DWC said it will assess providers on…

The Oregon Court of Appeals upheld the summary dismissal of a SAIF employee’s claim she that was terminated in retaliation for reporting unlawful conduct.   Case: Cuddigan-Placito v. SAIF, No. 760.

The New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration is seeking public comment regarding the reappointment of Judge Ned Fuller to a five-year term. Ned S. Fuller Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Fuller, the…

The U.S. Department of Labor reported an 11% reduction in workplace fatality investigations in the most recent fiscal year. The 826 worker deaths investigated during the fiscal year that ended June…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the closure of a worker’s claim, the denial of his requests for additional treatment and the denial of his request to expand the…

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker struck by a falling panel should have been granted summary judgment on his Labor Law claim. Case: Macaulay v. New Line Structures…

A New York appellate court upheld a grant of summary judgment for a worker’s Labor Law claim. Case: Molina v. 114 Fifth Avenue Associates LLC, No. 156349/16, 10/15/2024, published. Facts: Jose Molina…

The Appellate Court of Maryland ruled that a jury’s award of temporary total disability benefits was inconsistent with its finding that a worker’s hip condition was not related to her…

Sedgwick on Monday announced that it named Andrea Buhl president of its casualty group. Andrea Buhl Buhl has held numerous leadership roles at Sedgwick over the last 15 years, most recently…

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis pitched privatizing Pinnacol Assurance in his proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The governor’s proposal is the opening salvo in budget negotiations with…

The California Division of Workers’ Compensation updated a poster employers are required to display in the workplace to add language advising people of their right to consult an attorney following…

A New York appellate court overturned a decision deducting the schedule loss of use for a worker’s prior shoulder injury from the schedule loss of use for a later arm…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a coal miner’s claim of injury from a fall. Case: Saunders v. ACNR Resources Inc., No. 24-ICA-128, 10/28/2024, published. Facts: Stephen Saunders…

A New York appellate court upheld a grant of summary judgment for a worker’s Labor Law claim based on his fall while working in an elevator shaft. Case: De Souza v.

A divided Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a tort claim saying the injured worker agreed to a shorter statute of limitations in a contract he signed as…

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the state could receive up to $122 million from Kroger through a settlement that resolves allegations that the grocery chain failed to oversee the…

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau will present the findings from its latest study on the variation of claim characteristics in different parts of California during a Dec. 4 webinar. Since…

A petition was filed with the California Supreme Court requesting a writ of mandate directing the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board to render final decisions on cases in which it granted…

Orders taking a matter off calendar are not final orders for the purposes of seeking reconsideration, the California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board said in a what it designated as a…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld an award of 0% permanent partial disability for a worker’s occupational pneumoconiosis. Case: Foster v. Kingston Mining Inc., No. 24-ICA-172, 10/28/2024, published. Facts: Nelson Foster…

A New York appellate court ruled that the Workers’ Compensation Board applied the wrong standard of proof to a social worker seeking benefits for physical and psychological injuries from being…