The Nebraska Supreme Court upheld an award of benefits to a housekeeper for a respiratory injury brought on by wearing a used face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. Case: Prinz v.

Hawaii’s Intermediate Court of Appeals overturned the denial of a worker’s claim for permanent partial disability benefits, finding that the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board imposed the wrong standard…

The Hawaii Court of Appeals revived an injured health care worker’s untimely claim for her tuberculosis infection. Case: Weis v. Pali Momi Medical Center, No. CAAP-19-0000575, 06/04/2024, unpublished. Facts: Teresa L. Weis…

The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations cannot reject an appeal as untimely based on its “sent” date for a decision without direct evidence that…

Hawaii’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld an award of permanent partial disability benefits for a worker’s knee injuries. Case: Noborikawa v. Host International Inc., No. CAAP-20-0000172, 09/20/2024, unpublished. Facts: Carrie N. Noborikawa…

One safe, five sons and betrayal: this principle shows how shared knowledge can protect secrets—without having to trust anyone

The inspection paradox makes sense of social networks, long train wait times and why the call center is always busy 

The bizarre life and legacy of Paul Erdős, the most prolific mathematician ever

Mathematicians cannot determine whether multiplying pi by itself repeatedly might produce a whole number

Researchers are racing to create codes so complex that even quantum computers can’t break them

A concept from theoretical physics helped confirm the strange connection between two completely different areas of mathematics

In the 1970s mathematicians found a simple way to create all numbers, from the infinitely small to infinitely large

A simple solution to gerrymandering crumbles when confronted with math’s ‘ham sandwich theorem’

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division on Friday announced that it updated the form used to request a change of provider to replace the term “physician assistant” with “physician associate.” The WCD…

The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that an insurance carrier did not have to treat a worker as having a combined condition when none of her impairment was related to her compensable…

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division reported that covered employment and the number of accepted disabling claims increased in 2022, resulting in the claims rate per 100 workers remaining the same as…

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division on Monday published a bulletin explaining how to calculate self-insured employer premium assessments for the upcoming fiscal year. Self-insureds can choose premium assessments using either a…

The Oregon Court of Appeals overturned a jury’s $10 million verdict in favor of a worker’s widow for his asbestos exposures. Case: Ibarra v. C.H. Murphy/Clark-Ullman Inc., No. 411, 06/20/2024, unpublished. Facts…

The Oregon Court of Appeals clarified when a worker’s spouse falls within an exception to the definition of “beneficiary” because the couple was “living in a state of abandonment” at…

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division's rulemaking advisory committee will review medical treatment regulations during a Nov. 5 meeting. The division said a preliminary list of topics that the committee will discuss…

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division posted a bulletin announcing the annual increase in retroactive program benefits and the processes for calculating benefits owed to injured workers. The retroactive program supplements benefits…

We use iNaturalist data to help find the sandhills cellophane bee. Researchers are looking for nesting sites for the rare bee.

At the Ryan-Harley site, archeologists reconstruct the ice age landscape of the Wacissa River, where early Floridians left artifacts.

The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a denial of benefits for a university employee with significant preexisting health problems for her alleged injuries from walking to her workplace. Case: Ostrowski v.

A federal appellate court revived an injured worker’s suit against a crane contractor, finding there were triable questions as to whether the crane operator allegedly responsible for his injuries was…

The Workers Compensation Research Institute reported that medical payments per claim in Indiana were higher than typical among the 17 states included in a recent study. WCRI said its analysis of…

The District of Columbia’s highest court overturned a finding that an injured worker was not an employee within the meaning of the Workers’ Compensation Act. Case: Sanchez Lopez v. DOES, No. 22-AA-0765,…

The District of Columbia’s highest court ruled that the Office of Administrative Hearings lacks authority to review penalty calculations by the Office of Risk Management. Luigi Buitrago injured his back in…

The Illinois Appellate Court ruled that a worker was entitled to permanent total disability benefits for the loss of use of the eyes, plus additional permanent partial disability benefits for…

A federal appellate court upheld the summary dismissal of a widow’s wrongful death claim against the parent company of her late-husband’s employer. Case: Mesenbring v. Rollins Inc., No. 23-2473, 06/28/2024, published. Facts:…

An Illinois appeals court overturned the denial of death benefits to a deceased worker’s adult son, finding that the father's fatal heart attack was compensable and that the son was an…

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Self Insurers’ Association opened registration for their Workers’ Compensation and Safety Conference scheduled for Oct. 9 in Lisle. The conference will feature a case law…

The Illinois Appellate Court ruled that the Public Employee Disability Act does not prohibit an employer from withholding taxes from a worker’s benefits. Case: Bitner v. City of Pekin, No. 4-23-0718,…

A federal appellate court ruled that a worker’s claim that his employer’s health plan administrator violated Illinois law was preempted by federal law. Case: Carnes v. HMO Louisiana Inc., No. 4:22-cv-04179,…

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday appointed Magda Derisma-Oyewole as an arbitrator for the state Workers’ Compensation Commission. Magda Derisma-Oyewole Derisma-Oyewole has been a practicing attorney since 2015 and focused on…

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will decide whether general contractors can be denied statutory employer status if they have not paid benefits to a subcontractor’s injured employee and whether the statutory employer defense is…

A Pennsylvania appellate court on Monday ordered a workers’ compensation judge to determine whether an employer should be penalized for failing to reimburse an injured worker for medical cannabis. The Commonwealth…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld the denial of a widow’s claim for a truck driver’s fatal heart attack. Case: Dnistranskiy v. Brite Logistics Inc. (WCAB), No. 414 C.D. 2023, 05/10/2024,…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that when an injured worker is a sole proprietor, he must report a work-related injury to the insurance carrier for the business within 120…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld the denial of a worker’s claim for benefits based on his industrial lead exposure. Case: Mercer v. Active Radiator MPN Inc., No. 1326 C.D. 2023,…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld the dismissal of a worker’s untimely appeal of the denial of his workers’ compensation claim. Case: Oldfield v. Popcorn Alley Inc., No. 233 C.D. 2023,…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that Amazon.com was not entitled to join an injured employee’s prior employer as a defendant in her claim and that she was entitled to…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania rejected an injured municipal employee’s constitutional challenges to the state's new impairment rating process. Case: Epps v. City of Philadelphia (WCAB), No. 835 C.D. 2023, 07/08/2024,…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that an injured worker was precluded from trying to challenge the validity of his settlement agreements with his employer. Case: May v. Dana Corp., No.

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld a determination that a worker was required to pay the full amount of her employer’s lien against her third-party recovery, even though the estimate…

Billing agents can pursue payments for workers' comp prescriptions outside of the fee-review process, under a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision. The high court on Tuesday published a split decision in…

Pennsylvania employers would be allowed to make adverse employment decisions against employees and job applicants who legally use medical cannabis, under recently introduced legislation. Senate Bill 1290, introduced Wednesday by Sen. Patrick…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld the modification of an injured worker’s benefits from wage loss to a specific loss based on the partial amputation of a toe. Case: Perkins v.

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that a worker was not entitled to set aside the workers’ compensation settlement she reached with her employer. Case: Clarius v. Rite Aid Corp. (WCAB),…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that an employer should have been allowed to set aside its stipulation of facts agreeing to the enlargement of an employee’s claim. Case: VNA of…