Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Friday that makes significant changes to workers compensation medical reviews, insurer assessments and penalties for licensed businesses that fail to maintain coverage. H.B. 5228, which took effect immediately and passed both chambers in April and May, requires that adverse utilization review determinations for services delivered or recommended by a physician be made by a…
An employee of High Performance Alloys, Inc. died while working at the company’s facility. The deceased employee’s estate sued the company for wrongful death, alleging gross negligence, willful and wanton conduct, disregard of safety regulations, and actual intent to cause injury. The complaint referenced prior safety violations, knowledge of hazardous conditions, failure to implement available safety measures, and a claim…
Injured workers’ prescriptions filled outside pharmacy networks cost an average of 67% more than comparable in-network medications, according to an analysis released Friday by Enlyte. The report analyzed calendar-year 2025 retail pharmacy, mail-order and paper medical bill prescription transactions across workers compensation and auto casualty claims, comparing utilization and spending between in-network and out-of-network channels to provide a broader picture…
An Illinois appeals court has thrown open a new avenue for personal injury lawyers and others to claim potentially massively enhanced verdicts, as the court upheld a $45 million verdict awarded by a Cook County jury to the family of a woman who died of mesothelioma, allegedly caused by exposure to talc in Johnson & Johnson baby powder — a…
A federal appeals court upheld workers compensation benefits for a former shipyard painter who developed breathing difficulties after years of exposure to paint fumes, chemicals and sandblasting materials. In Jeffboat Inc. and American Longshore Mutual Association Ltd. v. Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, and Calvin F. Chaffers, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a Benefits Review Board…
Litigation is creeping deeper into workers compensation claims, adding cost and complexity for employers, even as the line remains broadly profitable and protected by exclusive remedy. “We’re operating in a more adversarial claim environment than we ever have,” said Matt Hannon, New York-based national casualty practice leader for Aon in North America. “Litigation is being driven by both economic pressures…
As heat exposure becomes a more visible workplace risk, workers compensation claims professionals say disputes are not always about whether a worker suffered a classic heat illness, but whether heat contributed to another medical event or injury. That question is complicating causation reviews in claims involving fainting, falls, cardiac symptoms, dehydration or other events that may not initially be coded…
Heat-related worker injury claims can range from quickly resolved dehydration cases to catastrophic injuries requiring emergency care, organ damage and potential long-term disability, according to workers compensation experts. That makes early recognition and rapid response critical, particularly as employers face increased scrutiny over heat exposure and as claims teams prepare for more questions about how heat illnesses are reported, treated…
Heat-related illness claims are a small slice of the overall claims picture, but rising temperatures, expanding safety regulations and growing awareness of the exposure are prompting insurers and employers to look more closely at heat as a broader workplace injury risk. Research by the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that workplace heat-related illnesses increase at least sevenfold on days when…
Hospital closures in rural areas disrupt access to care for injured workers but do not significantly increase workers compensation claim costs or disability duration, according to a Workers Compensation Research Institute study released Thursday. The study examined the impact of hospital closures on access to care and claim outcomes and found that rural hospital closures led to workers traveling an…
