The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a denial of authorization for nerve block treatments for an injured worker. Case: Cooper v. Lowe’s Home Centers Inc., No. 24-ICA-55, 07/30/2024, unpublished. Facts:…

The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled that the Workers’ Compensation Board of Review erred in applying the standard of compensability for occupational pneumoconiosis to a widow’s claim for…

The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of additional treatment and temporary total disability benefits for an injured mine worker. Case: Polinski v. Consol Bailey Mine WV, No.

The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled that the Workers’ Compensation Board of Review erred in finding that a worker who lost part of his leg was not entitled…

The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s claim for injuries allegedly suffered while assisting a colleague having a medical emergency. Case: Hollandsworth v. Workforce West…

The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a denial of benefits to a worker for an alleged back injury. Case: Cecil v. Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Co., No. 24-ICA-53, 07/30/2024, unpublished. Facts:…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of a worker's request for additional benefits and the expansion of her claim. Case: Martin v. Wal-Mart Associates Inc., No. 23-115, 08/01/2024, published. Facts: Irene Martin…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of a worker’s request for additional treatment and benefits, and the expansion of his claim. Case: Hankins v. Sprouting Farms Corp., No. 22-919,…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a denial of permanent partial disability benefits to an injured worker. Case: Underwood v. West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, No. 23-118, 08/01/2024,…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a widow’s claim for benefits, finding her late husband’s occupational pneumoconiosis had not materially contributed to his death. Sherman Bailey received…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld an award of benefits to the widow of a worker suffering from chronic myelomonocytic leukemia before contracting COVID-19 and dying. Case: PPG Industries Inc.

A federal appellate court upheld an award of black lung benefits for a longtime coal miner. Case: Consol PA Coal Co. v. OWCP, No. 23-1892, 09/17/2024, unpublished. Facts: Stephen Hela worked as an…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld an award of occupational disease-dependent death benefits to a worker’s widow. Case: Appalachian Boiler & Fab LLC v. Caruthers, No. 23-345, 09/23/2024, published. Facts: Johnny A.

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a denial of benefits for a hospital maintenance worker’s COVID-19 infection. Case: Morrill v. Lifepoint Hospitals Inc., No. 23-461, 09/23/2024, published. Facts: Curtis Morrill was a…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a finding that a roofer’s rare blood disorder was linked to his occupational exposure to benzene. Case: Lindy & Fred Seco General Revokable Trust v.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis enacted a bill that will increase the cap on combined temporary disability and permanent partial disability benefits by 100% or more. Rep. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada Polis on…

The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that an administrative law judge had jurisdiction to determine whether an employer made an overpayment after it issued an admission of liability for a specific…

A divided Texas appellate court overturned a grant of summary judgment finding that an injured police officer was entitled to uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage under her own policy for an accident…

A Texas appellate court ruled that a worker’s death in a motorcycle accident while retrieving his company-issued laptop from home was not compensable. Michael Evans was a safety consultant for Xcel…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation posted proposed changes to its pharmacy benefit rules that remove obsolete provisions and update reference language for consistency with other regulations. “When the rules were originally adopted,…

Benefits are increasing by about 3.8% for injuries sustained on or after Oct. 1, according to information that the Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation posted on its website. The maximum temporary…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation proposed rules to ensure that the agency is notified of an employee’s death before the Subsequent Injury Fund issues a lifetime income benefit payment. The…

All but four of the 130 insurance carriers that the Texas Division of Workers' Compensation evaluated through its performance-based oversight assessment scored average or better. The division on Thursday reported that…

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that an employer’s optional medical examination is not a reimbursable expense from a worker’s third-party recovery. Case: Brent v. Mississippi Department of Human Services, No. 2022-CT-00529-SCT,…

A split Mississippi Court of Appeals upheld a finding that a worker’s compensable right-foot injury did not leave her permanently and totally disabled and that her left-foot injury was not compensable. Case:…

The Washington Court of Appeals upheld the suspension of an injured nurse’s benefits because she refused to participate in a telehealth evaluation requested by her employer. Case: Novalic v. PeaceHealth, No. 58451-4-II, 07/16/2024, unpublished. Facts: Eldina…

A man who allegedly started a metal fabrication shop just weeks after suffering a workplace injury was charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing about $340,000 in indemnity benefits, the…

The Claims Specialist's Start Guide: CA Adjuster Cert Process, Historical Overview, Organizational Structure of WC System, WC Terms and Concepts, Basic Benefits & TD and SJDB Vouchers.

David DePaolo will moderate a discussion on the topic of Opioids based on a WorkCompCentral Special Report authored by Peter Rousmaniere. The report looks at how the workers’ compensation industry…

Training will include: facts to know about the Return to Work Fund/Benefit (RTWF or RTWB), important dates and deadlines to remember, what do you and your client need to avoid…

This training will address advanced permanent disability issues involving major orthopedic and non-orthopedic injuries. Instruction will also include a discussion of Almaraz-Guzman based alternative ratings and a case law review…

Improving Benefit Adequacy for On-the-Job Injuries: the approach by the Texas Nonsubscriber Option might surprise you. …

"Work Comp Matters" - the central location for all your workers' compensation, employment and labor law matters. Steve Appell hosts this weekly podcast from sunny southern California - presenting some…

"Work Comp Matters" - the central location for all your workers' compensation, employment and labor law matters. Steve Appell hosts this weekly podcast from sunny southern California - presenting some…

Settling work comp claims calls for a tricky balance. Payers want to limit the amount of money that is allocated to a Medicare Set-Aside and injured workers worry about running…

Workers' compensation public policy research is thriving. Big data and next generation analytics have created new insights into all corners of the national workers' compensation system. The best research can…

This week Steve, Robert & Mike discuss George Herbert Walker Bush, Self Driving Cars and all the other News of the Week. Steve discusses his lunch meeting with President &…

This week on Work Comp Matters, Steve, Mark, Robert and Mike talk about Kim Kardashian West and her desire to become a lawyer. Also, the topics of discussion include all…

This week on Work Comp Matters, Steve and the guys talk about relevant issues for your employees, employers and independent contractors. In addition to the new Uber IPO and the…

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…

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…

The Iowa Court of Appeals upheld an award of death benefits for a fatal prescription drug overdose saying evidence in the record was equivocal regarding whether the death was accidental…

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…

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker should have been granted partial summary judgment on his Labor Law claim for a trip-and-fall injury on a construction site. Case: Guzman-Saquisili v.

This course will explain the prevalence, pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment recommendations of diabetic foot ulcers. Additionally, causation analysis will also be discussed.

In a case of first impression, Maine’s highest court ruled that a worker was entitled to an award of specific-loss benefits for the loss of vision in his eye on…

The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals ruled that an employer could not be relieved of its obligation to provide continuing medical treatment to an injured worker after she aggravated her…

The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals upheld the denial of a widower’s claim for benefits for a nursing home worker’s death after her COVID-19 infection. Rose Harrison worked for the Marion Regional…

The Utah Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a former Walmart’s worker’s claim for permanent total disability benefits. Darlene Rouse worked for Walmart. She had physical limitations related to a…

The Utah Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a worker with a long history of health issues was entitled to temporary disability benefits for a closed period after an…