w Court Revives Worker's Claims for FEHA Violation, IIED By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 26 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w DWC Updates DMEPOS Fee Schedule By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 26 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The California Division of Workers’ Compensation posted an order updating the fee schedule for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies for the fourth quarter. The division said it adopted Medicare’s… Full Article
w WCIRB Promotes Tony Milano to EVP, Chief Actuary By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w WCIS Upgrade Slated for October By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The California Division of Workers’ Compensation announced that its Workers’ Compensation Information System will undergo an upgrade in October. The division said WCIS will receive an internal system update and secure… Full Article
w Governor Signs Debit Card Bill, Vetoes Ag Worker Presumption By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w Court Overturns Jury Verdict for Railway on Prejudicial Evidentiary Error By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 02 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w WCIRB Posts Report on COVID Claims By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 02 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w CWCI Posts Summary of 2024 Legislation By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w DWC Posts Quarterly Adjustment to Hospital, ASC Fees By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The California Division of Workers’ Compensation posted an order adopting the latest quarterly update to the outpatient hospital and ambulatory surgery center section of the Official Medical Fee Schedule. The division… Full Article
w DWC Adopts Updates to MTUS Drug List By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The California Division of Workers’ Compensation announced updates to the drug list in the Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule to align with national treatment guidelines. The division said the order updates the… Full Article
w Andrea Coleman to Succeed Bill Mudge as WCIRB President, CEO By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Fri, 04 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California announced that Andrea Coleman will succeed Bill Mudge as president and CEO next year. Andrea Coleman Coleman’s promotion will take effect Feb. 1,… Full Article
w CWCI Reports on Emerging Costs of Migraine Drugs By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The California Workers’ Compensation Institute reported that a nearly eightfold increase in migraine drug prescriptions coincided with the emergence of several high-cost drugs that are not included in the formulary. “Although… Full Article
w WCIRB Reports Increase in Average Charged Rates By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 09 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w DWC Opens Second 15-Day Comment Period for Pharmacy Rules By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 09 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w CAAA Opens Registration for 2025 Winter Convention By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 09 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w DWC Adopts Medicare Changes to Hospital, ASC Fee Schedule By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The California Division of Workers' Compensation posted an order updating the hospital outpatient department and ambulatory surgical centers section of the Official Medical Fee Schedule. The division in October posted an… Full Article
w Twice-Convicted Fraudster Charged in Alleged $100M Scheme By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w CWCI: Wage Increase Bumps Benefits for 2025 By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The California Workers' Compensation Institute said certain benefits will increase by about 3.8% next year because of an increase in the state's average weekly wage. The average wage in California increased… Full Article
w DWC Posts 2025 Profile Audit Standards By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The California Division of Workers' Compensation announced standards it will use for profile audit review of adjusting locations next year. The DWC said the PAR performance standard for 2025 audits is… Full Article
w Vocational School Owner Charged With Fraud By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Fri, 18 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w WCRI Finds Medical Payments 10% Below Median in Golden State By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Workers Compensation Research Institute reports that average medical payments per claim in California were 10% below the median of a 17-state study. California saw little change in payments per claim… Full Article
w CWCI: Drop in Opioid Prescriptions More Pronounced in Comp By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w WCIRB Posts 2025 X-Mods By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California announced that insurers, agents and brokers can access recently published 2025 experience modifications for policyholders. Insurers, agents and brokers who use WCIRB Connect… Full Article
w DWC Announces TTD Rates for 2025 By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The California Division of Workers’ Compensation announced that the minimum and maximum temporary total disability rates are increasing Jan. 1. The minimum TTD rate will increase to $252.03 per week from… Full Article
w DWC Completes Server Upgrades By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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,… Full Article
w Contractor Has Immunity From Civil Liability to Injured Worker By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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. Full Article
w Widow Misses Deadline to Challenge Denial of Claim by 1 Day By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Georgia Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a widow’s challenge to the denial of her claim for death benefits as time-barred. Case: Coffman v. Barnsley Consulting Group, No. A24A0740,… Full Article
w Federal Court Again Rules Contractor Has Immunity From Worker's Claim By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700 A federal appellate court has again ruled that a contractor was immune from civil liability for injuries suffered by an employee of a crane company it hired. Case: Hall v. SAC… Full Article
w Report: Man Accused of Selling Insurance Without License By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The owner of a Georgia tax preparation business was charged with 23 counts of insurance fraud and two counts of deceptive practices for allegedly selling workers’ compensation insurance without being… Full Article
w Employer Entitled to Dismissal of Worker's Retaliation Claim By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 12 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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,… Full Article
w Vehicle Qualifies as Uninsured if Exclusivity Prevents Worker From Recovery By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w Lawmakers Approve 2024 Fee Schedule By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Fri, 24 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission announced that state lawmakers have approved the updated 2024 Medical Fee Schedule. The state House of Representatives voted 94-1 to pass House Joint Resolution 1035 in… Full Article
w Co-Employee Immunity Requires Both Workers to Be in COE/SOE By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700 A divided Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that an employee who injures a colleague must be acting within the course and scope of employment when the incident occurs to receive the… Full Article
w Last-Leg Amazon Delivery Workers Can't Be Compelled to Arbitrate Claims By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700 A divided Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that two workers employed by a local delivery contractor for Amazon Inc. could not be compelled to arbitrate their workers’ compensation retaliation claims. Case: Mathis… Full Article
w WCC Provides Contact Info for New Legacy Court By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission provided contact information for the newly created court that will hear legacy claims from before the 2014 reforms that created the state’s administrative program. Gov. Kevin… Full Article
w Court of Existing Claims Announces Preliminary Review Docket By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court of Existing Claims is implementing a preliminary review docket for active cases pending as of July 1. The court’s preliminary review docket will be held at… Full Article
w Court Upholds Worker's Entitlement to Additional Treatment, AWW Calculation By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w Court Says Worker's Lies Don't Forfeit Entitlement to Benefits By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld an award of benefits for a man with a rapid-repetitive-motion injury and that he did not forfeit his entitlement to benefits by lying about his medical… Full Article
w No Permanent Total Disability Benefits for Worker Who Lost Eye By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 23 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a worker was not permanently and totally disabled by the loss of her left eye. Case: Murphy v. Arkansas Department of Correction,… Full Article
w Court Upholds Causal Connection Between Coal Worker's Employment, Pneumoconiosis By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Fri, 17 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w WCRI Webinar to Cover Impact of Excessive Heat By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The Workers Compensation Research Institute is holding a 30-minute webinar on June 6 to discuss the impact of excessive heat on workplace injuries. WCRI recently released a study measuring the extent… Full Article
w Rating Bureau, Comp Commission Ready New Websites By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 23 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w Regulatory Preamble Can Support Award of Black Lung Benefits By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700 A federal appellate court ruled that an administrative law judge did not err in relying on a regulatory preamble to support an award of black lung benefits to a veteran… Full Article
w IAIABC Announces NextGen Award Winners By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Mon, 17 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700 The International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions announced the recipients of its NextGen Award recognizing young professionals who are having a positive effect on their organizations and the… Full Article
w AppliedVR Names Michael Marsau Executive Director, Workers' Compensation By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w Federal Court Upholds Worker's Award of Black Lung Benefits Despite ALJ's Evidentiary Mistake By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700 A federal appellate court upheld an award of black lung benefits to a coal industry employee despite the administrative law judge’s evidentiary error. Case: Coastal Coal Co. LLC v. Harrison, No. Full Article
w Court Upholds Worker's Convictions for Embezzlement, Workers' Compensation Fraud By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w Court Overturns Black Lung Award, Clarifies Burden of Proof for Legal Pneumoconiosis Claims By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Mon, 08 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w DOL Session to Discuss Benefits for Nuclear Weapons Workers By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Tue, 09 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
w Bill Would Allow Treatment by Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners By ww3.workcompcentral.com Published On :: Tue, 09 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700 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… Full Article
