workers’ comp News

Moonlighting Cop Not Independent Contractor? NC Supreme Court Says Hold on.

The North Carolina Supreme Court has temporarily put the brakes on an appeals court decision that had upset years of workers’ compensation case law on when a moonlighting law officer is considered an independent contractor. In the case of Stephen …

Viewpoint: Are We Drowning in Forms?

Claims adjudicators rely heavily on data to make informed decisions. It’s the nature of the work: assessing a claim correctly requires a sizable amount of information, such as policy coverage details, underwriting terms, data on the claimant’s past health, reason …

Department of Labor Inspections at 16 U.S. Mines Resulted in 247 Safety Violations

There were 247 violations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration after inspections at 16 mines in 11 states in December 2023, the department reported. The department began conducting inspections after a 2010 explosion in …

New Jersey Expands Workers’ Compensation for First Responders

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed into law a change in workers’ compensation coverage for volunteer and professional public safety and law enforcement personnel. The new law (A-5909/S-4267) amends current workers’ compensation law to add that a response to …

Class Actions Filed Over Builders Mutual, Progressive’s Own Data Breaches

Progressive Casualty Insurance and North Carolina-based Builders Mutual Insurance Co. have been served with class-action lawsuits over data breaches on their own computer systems in 2022, cyber attacks that may have exposed the personal data of more than 411,000 people. …

Study Sheds Light on Substance Use in First Responders During COVID-19 Pandemic

First responders such as law enforcement personnel, firefighters and emergency medical service providers experienced increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression due to job-related pressures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows. Additionally, their exposure to work-related stress …

Occupations Taking Most Time Off Due to Injury Or Illness

Merchandise displayers and window trimmers take the most time off for injury or illness, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Flight attendants took the second most time off for these issues, while food processing workers were …

The Demolition of Workers’ Comp: ProPublica/NPR Report

Dennis Whedbee’s crew was rushing to prepare an oil well for pumping on the Sweet Grass Woman lease site, a speck of dusty plains rich with crude in Mandaree, North Dakota. It was getting late that September afternoon in 2012. …

Study Provides Reasons for Increasing Hospital Costs in Workers’ Comp

A new study from Mass.-based Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), updates a recently published 33-state study with an extra year of data and the early impact analysis of major regulatory changes in North Carolina. The study, Hospital Outpatient Cost Index …

New Hampshire Lawmakers Tackle High Workers’ Comp Costs

If a worker in New Hampshire gets hurt on the job, an anesthetic injection can cost $763 under a workers’ compensation claim, compared to $298 for non-work related injuries. Surgical treatment for tendinitis in the shoulder costs about $2,200 if …