Pennsylvania’s Superior Court upheld a jury’s $15.5 million award to a worker for his electric shock injuries. Case: Feldman v. CP Acquisitions 25 LP, No. 501 EDA 2023, 09/12/2024, published. Facts: The…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld the denial of a railway worker’s claim of injury to his ear and hearing loss. Case: Patrick v. Velocity Rail Solutions Inc. (WCAB), No. 652…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania continues to reject repetitive challenges to the constitutionality of the state's new impairment rating evaluation process. Case: Kittles v. City of Philadelphia (WCAB), No. 1058 C.D.

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania overturned a ruling that an employer had waived its subrogation claim for the benefits it paid to an injured worker in a settlement. Case: American General Life Insurance…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld the denial of a municipal employer’s petition to convert an injured worker’s status from temporarily totally disabled to temporarily partially disabled. Lamont Turner worked for…

Pennsylvania lawmakers sent Gov. Josh Shapiro bills that would make direct deposit the default way to pay work comp benefits and make it easier for first responders to receive benefits…

A Missouri appellate court ruled that an employer was entitled to direct a worker’s future medical care even though it had refused to pay for her treatment for more than a…

The Missouri Court of Appeals reinstated a jury’s verdicts in favor of an injured worker on his disability discrimination claim. Scott Caldwell worked for the UniFirst Corp. as a district sales…

The Missouri Court of Appeals overturned a denial of Second Injury Fund benefits to a long-time aircraft mechanic with a multitude of injuries. James Eckardt spent over 40 years working as…

A Missouri appellate court ruled that a worker could not proceed with a civil suit against a company that qualified as his statutory employer. Case: Montgomery v. Coreslab Structures (Missouri) Inc.,…

Missouri Employers Mutual announced a new brand identity, MEM, that unites the work comp carrier and its subsidiary, Previsor, under a single banner. The rebranding coincides with the carrier’s transition to…

The Idaho Supreme Court ruled that an employer is not required to use only one physician to evaluate a discrete injury, but it has the burden of proving the reasonableness of…

California’s 2nd District Court of Appeals published its July decision finding that the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund is required to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that it…

California lawmakers passed a bill that, if approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would allow county park rangers to collect full salary-continuation benefits in lieu of temporary disability for up to…

The owner of a vocational school in Los Angeles was charged with fraud for billing carriers for services not provided and allegedly paying illegal kickbacks to vocational counselors for referrals,…

California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, commonly known as Cal/OSHA, has increased staffing in its Bureau of Investigations Unit to take on more probes into serious workplace injuries across the…

The California Workers’ Compensation Institute published a report on trends in average benefit payments valued 24 months from the date of injury. CWCI reports average medical payments started declining two years…

A California appellate court ruled that the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board lacks jurisdiction to act on a petition for reconsideration more than 60 days after it was filed. Joseph Mayor worked…

The California Legislature passed a bill that would increase salaries for Insurance Department fraud investigators. The Senate on Aug. 26 voted 32-7 to pass AB 2872, which had not been amended…

A California appellate court ruled that a subcontractor on a construction project was not entitled to pursue payment for its work because it failed to maintain workers’ compensation coverage. Case: American Building Innovation LP…

A trial court did not abuse its discretion when it reviewed new medical reports finding that a man was unable to return to work and in ordering San Francisco’s retirement system to…

The California Chamber of Commerce on Thursday issued a statement urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to veto a bill that would create a presumption of compensability for certain heat-related injuries suffered…

The California Division of Workers’ Compensation said it is closing a virtual district office in Eureka on Oct. 18 and shifting cases to Santa Rosa. Beginning Oct. 1, all hearing requests…

The Governing Committee for the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau will review pending legislative, regulatory and judicial actions during a Sept. 25 meeting. Committee members will hear reports on the annual…

A California appellate court ruled that the Privette doctrine shielded a general contractor from civil liability to a subcontractor’s injured employee. Case: Luna v. Crane Development Corp., No. D081692, 09/20/2024, unpublished. Facts:…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed bills that would have required some utilization review doctors to be licensed in the state and would have increased salaries for fraud investigators at the…

Pacific Workers’ Compensation Law Center in Oakland hired Yuvanna M. Davis as a workers’ compensation attorney. Yuvanna M. Davis The firm said Davis has a strong background in workers’ rights and…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill allowing electronic signatures in the state’s workers’ compensation system. Newsom on Sunday signed AB 2337, by Assemblymember Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach. As introduced, the…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill delaying by two years the implementation of a universal workers’ compensation coverage requirement for all contractors. The bill Newsom signed Sunday also includes a…

A California appellate court revived a worker’s claims against his employer for harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Jose Rivera worked for FSC Corp. at Il Pastaio restaurant in Beverly…

A California appellate court ruled that an employer was entitled to relief from its default in a dispute over allegedly unpaid workers’ compensation premiums. Case: Creditor’s Adjustment Bureau Inc. v. Bathe,…

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California on Thursday announced the promotion of Tony Milano to executive vice president and chief actuary. Tony Milano “Tony’s promotion to our Senior Leadership…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed over potential cost concerns a bill that would have allowed county and special district park rangers to receive full-pay salary continuation benefits in lieu of…

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…

A California appellate court overturned a jury verdict in favor of a railway, finding that the trial judge prejudicially erred in excluding the testimony of an injured worker’s expert witness. Terrence Richard…

About 15% of COVID-19 claims with medical payments involved treatment for long COVID symptoms, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California reported. More than one in seven COVID-19 claims filed…

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…

Average charged rates increased in the first six months of 2024, suggesting recent rate declines are flattening, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California said in its latest quarterly…

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…

A man convicted of fraud in two separate cases 15 years apart and who was kicked out of California's workers' compensation system seven years ago is facing new fraud charges…

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…

The California Division of Workers' Compensation on Friday said it completed the process of upgrading its Workers' Compensation Information Servers. WCIS is ready to receive and process production data files daily,…

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that a worker was partially disabled by carpal tunnel syndrome and the Workers’ Disability Compensation Appeals Commission should address whether she received an overpayment…

The Georgia Court of Appeals upheld a finding that the state Insurers Insolvency Pool did not have a right to reimbursement from the insurer of a business using a staffing…

The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that a worker’s settlement of his compensation claim against his employer did not preclude him from pursuing a civil suit against alleged third-party tortfeasors…

A federal appellate court ruled that a contractor who hired a crane company’s services was immune from civil liability for injuries suffered by an employee of the crane company. Case: Hall v.

The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that an employer can face civil liability for the death of an employee who was shot at work by a colleague. Solo Cup Operating Corp.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that if a worker is injured as a passenger in an employer-owned vehicle, and workers’ compensation exclusivity precludes a recovery under the automobile liability policy, the…

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed bills creating a new venue for legacy claims and covering public safety workers with mental health claims that aren’t accompanied by a physical injury. Stitt on…