Category

Workers’ Compensation

COVID claims less costly than non-COVID claims: WCIRB

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In the first year of the pandemic, COVID-19 claims in workers compensation made up roughly 1/10th of claims and on average were less costly than non-COVID claims in almost every state, according to new analysis published Wednesday by the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California. The COVID-19’s Impact on Workers Compensation report sourced data from 45 jurisdictions representing $630…

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Asthmatic worker exposed to gas fumes denied compensation

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An appeals court in Illinois on Monday affirmed a previously overturned ruling denying workers compensation benefits for a gas journeyman with pre-existing asthma who was exposed to toxic fumes. Ricky A. Duncan, an employee at Ameren Corp. in Springfield, Illinois, was diagnosed with a “permanent and irreversible condition” of “severe irritant induced workplace associated bronchial reactivity” after inhaling gas fumes…

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Civilian contractor comp claims surge post-Afghanistan

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After 20 years of conflict, many U.S. soldiers and civilian contractors have returned home from Afghanistan and Iraq much different than when they first deployed. Psychological injuries are common in war zones, but a 2013 RAND Corporation Study found that civilian contractors suffer at a much greater rate. At the time of the study, 25% of private contractors showed PTSD…

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Report Sounds Alarm Over Workers With Long-Term COVID-19 Symptoms

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About 10% of people who contracted COVID-19 continue to suffer persistent symptoms months later, creating the potential for millions of people to suffer functional impairment for extended lengths of time, according to a report released by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. The report, written by Paradigm Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Choo, says COVID long-haulers are anxious and irritable….

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Study: Indiana Workers’ Comp Average Medical Claims Higher than Most States

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A recently published study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that the average medical payment for Indiana workers’ compensation claims with more than seven days of lost time was higher than the typical state. The study, CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks for Indiana, 22nd Edition, compared Indiana’s workers’ compensation system with systems in 17 other states. The WCRI analyzed workers’ compensation…

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Health care facility fined $38K over coronavirus hazard

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An inspection by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at a rehabilitation and post-acute care facility in Byron, Illinois, found the health care facility did not comply with federal respiratory protection requirements in its quarantine area and failed to protect workers from coronavirus hazards. OSHA found that Generations at Neighbors LLC, operator of six similar facilities in Illinois and Indiana,…

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Illinois Healthcare Center Fined $83.6K for Lack of Coronavirus Protections

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Federal workplace safety officials say a Bloomingdale, Illinois, nursing facility failed to protect employees and temporary staff from possible coronavirus hazards a year after an employee died of the disease. OSHA initiated a follow-up inspection at West Suburban Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC on July 28, 2021, under the National Emphasis Program for Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Emergency Temporary…

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Illinois Construction Contractor Cited for Workplace Hazards; Fined $229.7K

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For the sixth time in seven years, a federal workplace inspection has found a Roselle, Illinois, construction contractor putting workers at risk of serious injury or death by defying federal requirements to ensure the use of fall protection. On April 16, 2021, U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors observed employees of Emerald Inc. without fall protection…

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