For the second time, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said a Southern California judge failed to consider the fair market value of services provided in ordering restitution or…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted legislation allowing carriers to continue using prepaid debit cards for payment of temporary and permanent disability benefits. At the same time, the governor vetoed a bill…

The California Workers’ Compensation Institute published a bulletin listing bills of interest that Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted this year. The bulletin lists bills including AB 1239, which allows carriers to continue…

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health cited a farm labor contractor $17,550 for violating heat illness prevention standards. Cal/OSHA said it opened an investigation into Ruiz Farm Labor in…

The California Division of Workers’ Compensation opened a second 15-day comment period on a proposal to incorporate Medi-Cal’s reimbursement rules into its pharmacy fee schedule. In addition to technical corrections, the…

The California Applicants’ Attorneys Association opened registration for its annual winter convention, which will be held in Las Vegas Jan. 23-26. Panelists speaking during the conference will cover a variety of…

The California Department of Insurance announced that the owner of a private vocational school was charged with 11 felonies for allegedly submitting fraudulent bills to work comp carriers and failing…

Declines in opioid use among injured workers exceeded the decline among the overall population from 2017 to 2023, the California Workers' Compensation Institute reports. CWCI said data from the state's Controlled…

A California appellate court has ordered the publication of its decision from last month finding that a trial judge prejudicially erred in excluding the testimony of a railway worker’s expert…

The 11th U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the City of Atlanta was entitled to summary judgment dismissing an injured worker’s retaliation claims against it. Case: Fripp v. City of Atlanta,…

The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission announced personnel updates and changes in contact information within the Court of Existing Claims. The commission said Katrina Stephenson, who will become judicial liaison and order…

The Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a worker was entitled to additional treatment for a foot injury, as well as the Workers’ Compensation Commission’s calculation of her…

A federal appellate court upheld a finding that a worker’s coal mine employment caused his pneumoconiosis. Case: Lance Coal Corp. v. OWCP, No. 23-3779, 05/09/2024, unpublished. Facts: Virgil Combs worked for Lance…

ATF Medical appointed Katherine Nelson to serve as vice president of sales. Katherine Nelson Nelson will be based in Las Vegas and oversee the company’s efforts to market mobility and accessibility…

The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday said it adopted a new rule updating its hazard communication standard that takes effect July 19. The revised rule requires labels on small packages…

California’s Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau and the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission on Wednesday announced plans to launch new websites. The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission announced that it will unveil its…

Medical management firm OccMD on Tuesday announced the appointment of Cheryl Killion as the new director of nurse case management effective June 1. Killion has served as a senior nurse case…

A federal appellate court ruled that it had no jurisdiction over a petition for review of a denial of survivor’s benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act filed one day…

AppliedVR appointed Michael Marsau as its executive director of workers’ compensation. Michael Marsau Marsau is overseeing the launch of the company’s flagship RelieVRx prescription therapeutic into the workers’ compensation market, the…

A federal appellate court upheld a worker’s convictions and sentence to embezzlement and workers’ compensation fraud. Case: U.S. v. Holmes, No. 23-4700, 06/21/2024, unpublished. Facts and procedural history: Federal prosecutors in South…

A divided federal appellate court overturned an award of black lung benefits to a coal miner based on an administrative law judge’s misapplication of the burden of proof for a legal…

The U.S. Department of Labor will host an informational session in Lisle, Illinois, to discuss benefits available under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Act. The program provides lump-sum payments and…

Physician assistants and nurse practitioners would be authorized to treat injured federal workers under a bill being debated in the U.S. House of Representatives. HR 618, by Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., would add…

The software update that grounded airplanes and disrupted hospitals worldwide Friday also wreaked havoc on workers’ compensation regulators in some states. Officials from Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York,…

The U.S. Department of Labor said a federal court in Washington state issued an injunction preventing the U.S. Postal Service from retaliation against employees. The department said the injunction was part…

The U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals denied review of a railway worker’s challenge to the dismissal of his claim he had been terminated in retaliation for his successful pursuit…

The Workers’ Compensation Division of Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Cos. appointed Marj Hutchings as its chief information officer. Marj Hutchings Hutchings brings 35 years of technology experience, 27 of which are in…

The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking nominations for four positions on the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health. The department said it is seeking one public representative, one…

The federal Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs is holding a basic orientation course Aug. 21 for providers recently authorized to render medical treatment and evaluations for injured federal workers. The program will…

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that the federal court for the Northern District of New York found that an ophthalmologist and his practice illegally fired a worker who complained…

A federal appellate court rejected an employer’s petition for review of black lung benefits to a miner’s widow. Case: Harman Mining Corp. v. Bartley, No. 22-2283, 08/20/2024, unpublished. Facts: Jerry W. Bartley…

Workplace safety regulators in California and Washington state proposed nearly $500,000 in penalties for 10 employers accused of exposing workers to crystalline silica dust. The California Division of Occupational Safety and…

The International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions opened registration for its 2024 Judicial Program being held Oct. 29-30. The program, presented by IAIABC with the National Association on Workers’…

The U.S. Labor Department said it received more than $350,000 in back wages for workers at a Michigan construction company who were misclassified as contractors and for a truck driver…

The Workers Compensation Research Institute opened registration for its 2025 annual Issues and Research Conference being held March 6-7 in Phoenix. Ramona Tanabe WCRI said it will present findings from its…

The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee passed a bill that would authorize physician assistants and nurse practitioners to treat injured federal workers. The committee on Wednesday voted 12-3…

A federal appellate court ruled that an injured longshoreman who has hearing loss in one ear and bilateral tinnitus is properly compensated at the statutory rate. Case: Total Terminals International LLC…

Frequency increases modestly but consistently as temperatures climb, according to a study by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. NCCI said that starting around 50 degrees, there is about a 1%…

The National Council on Compensation Insurance said that after several years of ignoring broader economic patterns, medical inflation in the third quarter followed the softening trend in overall inflation. The softening…

Federal workplace safety investigators fined a Massachusetts waterproofing contractor $283,115 for safety violations they say led to a worker's death. Gerceir Osvaldo DeFaria, 51, was killed in February 2024 when part…

The Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice said it ended an inquiry into a state senator who allegedly did not disclose that he was working while collecting workers’ compensation benefits, saying…

Two senators in Connecticut announced plans to introduce legislation that would treat substance abuse as an occupational hazard. “If a worker is injured on the job, they receive treatment, but if…

The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission announced that Wesley G. Marshall was elected to a three-year term as chairman, effective Monday. Wesley G. Marshall Marshall succeeds Commissioner Robert A. Rapaport, whose term…

The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission opened registration for its 2024 Education Conference and Exhibition in October. The conference provides instruction on rules, procedures, policies and forms used in the state’s comp system.

The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld benefit awards of closed periods for an injured paramedic, finding that she failed to prove her entitlement to additional compensation. Case: Martinka v. PHI Group Inc.,…

The West Virginia Supreme Court clarified the proper method for apportioning preexisting impairments that have been definitely ascertained and impact multiple body parts. Case: Logan-Mingo Area Mental Health Inc. v. Lester,…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld an award of benefits for a janitor who contracted Legionnaires’ disease. Case: Scottish Rite Bodies of Charleston v. Weese, No. 22-0427, 06/10/2024, published. Facts: Thomas W. Weese worked…

The West Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a former coal miner was entitled to an increased impairment award for the worsening of his occupational pneumoconiosis, even though he had undergone…

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