West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a worker was not entitled to an increase in his award for occupational pneumoconiosis. Case: Puleo v. Coronado Group LLC, No.

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld an increase in a worker’s award of benefits for a back injury. Case: ACNR Resources Inc. v. Knight, No. 24-ICA-121, 09/04/2024, unpublished. Facts: Matthew Knight…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s request to expand his claim and for authorization for a magnetic resonance imaging scan. Case: Hill v. Lowe's Home…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s request to expand his claim to include additional conditions. Case: Justice v. Transwood, No. 24-ICA-57, 09/04/2024, unpublished. Facts: Keven Justice…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals overturned the closure of a worker’s claim and ordered that additional evidence be developed as to his preexisting conditions and whether they contributed to his…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled that a worker was not entitled to expand the scope of his claim to include additional conditions. Case: Hawkins v. Bimbo Bakeries Inc., No.

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of a worker’s occupational pneumoconiosis claim. Case: Lewis v. Columbia West Virginia Corp., No. 23-616, 09/23/2024, published. Facts: Jackie W. Lewis Sr. worked for…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of permanent partial disability benefits for a worker with a back injury. Case: Helmandollar v. Blackhawk Mining LLC, No. 23-430, 09/30/2024, published. Facts: Marion Helmandollar…

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 the denial of a request to expand the scope of a worker’s claim and for additional imaging. Case: Cook v. Cecil I. Walker Machinery Co.,…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of a worker’s request to reopen her claim for temporary total disability benefits, additional medications and a referral to a rheumatologist. Case: Blevins…

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 an increase in a worker’s permanent partial disability award for a shoulder injury. Case: ACNR Resources Inc. v. Martie, No. 23-386, 09/23/2024, published. Facts: Patrick Martie…

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.

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a referral to a neurosurgeon for evaluation of a condition that had not been accepted as compensable in a worker’s claim. Case:…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a worker was not entitled to an increase in his permanent partial disability award. Case: Alban v. West Virginia Division of…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a determination that an injured worker was entitled to a 0% permanent partial disability award. Case: Gibson v. Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, No. 24-ICA-160,…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a worker was not entitled to an increase in his permanent partial disability award for occupational pneumoconiosis. Case: Lucey v. Murray…

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry's Compliance, Records and Training (CRT) unit has created a new training video to assist administrators who file denials of primary liability. The video provides information about: The…

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that an injured employee’s right to assert a direct claim for unpaid medical expenses is not precluded by a medical provider’s failure to intervene in…

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry announced that starting Aug. 1, a new penalty of $500 can be assessed to health care provider agents who violate certain laws relating…

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry opened registration for a mandatory rehabilitation provider update webinar being held Sept. 13. The webinar will cover topics including a department update, legislative and rule…

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry announced that it will open registration Monday for its one-day Workers’ Compensation Summit set for Oct. 29. Session topics will include a legislative update…

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry announced that maximum hourly fees for vocational rehabilitation services are increasing 2.62%, effective Oct. 1. The department said the maximum qualified rehabilitation consultant hourly…

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…

In a case of first impression, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that when assessing whether a worker is at maximum medical improvement, a physician may consider all relevant body…

The Texas Workers' Compensation Research and Evaluation Group released a new report on access to care in the Lone Star State's workers' compensation system between 2017 and 2022. This report measures the availability…

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…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation is hosting a webinar on May 22 to discuss presiding officer directives. The division said the program will focus on the origin of presiding officer…

A Texas appellate court ruled that a public school district was immune from civil liability to a former employee on her retaliatory discharge claim. Case: Conroe Independent School District v. Osuna,…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation seeks public comment on changes to a trio of report forms. The division said it has updated the following forms to conform to the agency’s standards,…

A Texas appellate court revived an injured school district employee’s challenge to an administrative law judge’s determination that she was barred from pursuing compensation for some alleged conditions and dates…

The Texas Department of Insurance said it closed seven Division of Workers’ Compensation field offices along the Gulf Coast in response to Hurricane Beryl. The department said it closed both field…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation posted an online survey seeking input on legislative recommendations to include in the upcoming 2024 biennial report to the state Legislature. The division said it…

The Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday announced that the former co-owner of Bill Hall Jr. Trucking was sentenced to 10 years of deferred adjudication and ordered to pay restitution…

A Texas appellate court rejected a worker’s constitutional challenge to the 90-day deadline for contesting a previously assessed maximum medical improvement date. Case: Engel v. Texas Department of Insurance, No, 03-23-00077-CV, 07/17/2024,…

The Insurance Council of Texas is holding a webinar Aug. 12 that will cover the use of social media when resolving workers’ compensation claims. Marci Reading, vice president of business development…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation posted for public comment a copy of the proposed 2025 agenda for its Workers’ Compensation Research and Evaluation Group. The group is proposing three projects…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation is accepting comments on three sections of the Texas Administrative Code as part of a periodic review of its rules and regulations. The division is…

A Texas appellate court ruled that an employer’s alleged administrative violations did not prevent it from presenting and prevailing on its exclusivity defense. Robert Lane worked for Odle Inc. After he allegedly suffered…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation announced that it will hold a series of “brown bag” meetings in September and October to discuss the latest updates in dispute resolution. Agenda topics…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation opened registration for its Workers’ Compensation Conference being held virtually in October. The conference will feature sessions covering topics that include artificial intelligence, average weekly…

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…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation is hosting a free webinar Nov. 7 to cover how to become a treating doctor. The program will teach attendees the requirements to become a…

The Texas Division of Workers' Compensation on Wednesday announced that it adopted the 2025 agenda for its Workers' Compensation Research and Evaluation Group. The research group will study the feasibility and…

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…

Federal workplace safety regulators fined a Texas manufacturer and designer of school furniture, saying the company could have prevented an injury by installing machine guards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration…

The Alaska Court of Appeals upheld the restitution order against a convicted workers’ compensation fraudster. Scott Abraham Groom was convicted of taking more than $10,000 in state funds by “false or fraudulent pretense,…

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed a bill increasing the cap on payments for reemployment plans by 66.5%. Alaska law allows injured workers who are not able to return to employment after…