Despite potential obstacles posed by the coronavirus pandemic, injured workers experienced no meaningful delays in access to medical treatment under their employers’ workers’ compensation programs during the pandemic. Research from the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) also shows that states have varied substantially in the percentage of their workers’ compensation claims that have been Covid-19 related. “We found no change…
A Collinsville Walmart employee’s slip and fall lawsuit against the store was dismissed with prejudice by Madison County Circuit Judge Sarah Smith on April 1. Plaintiff Stephanie Mosley filed suit March 25, 2020, claiming that on her lunch break on Feb. 14, 2020, she slipped on water in a public area of the store and suffered injuries to her left…
Thirty-five percent of workers compensation claims organizations that have implemented new technology during the COVID-19 pandemic say telemedicine is the technology that has had the largest effect on business, according to survey results released by San Diego-based comp technology company Mitchell International, Inc. Of the 100 workers compensation professionals surveyed, 35% said telemedicine and predictive analytics are the technologies that…
From extreme sports competitions to amateur football and twerking, workers compensation investigators have uncovered many instances of workers fabricating injuries and pain. Employers must be committed to helping workers suffering from bona fide work-related injuries, but they also need to take steps to validate questionable injuries and vet social media to uncover fraudsters, said experts at a Wednesday session at…
Indiana legislators gave final approval to a bill that won’t require businesses to make accommodations for pregnant workers, despite an appeal from Gov. Eric Holcomb for a law requiring more protections. The proposal allows a pregnant employee to request accommodations and requires the employer to respond in a reasonable time frame, but it does not mandate managers to grant any…
An analysis of costs per claim and other performance indicators across 18 state workers compensation systems for claims through March 2020 for injuries up to and including 2019 show stable to modest increases, according to a series of reports released Thursday by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based institute said that studies include experience on claims at the…
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vetoed a bill that would have provided for prejudgment interest in the recovery of damages in personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits. House Bill 3360 “provides for the recovery of prejudgment interest on all damages set forth in a judgment in any action brought to recover damages for personal injuries or wrongful death, whether by…
Prescriptions for opioids and compounds continue to decline in workers compensation, but dermatologicals — particularly physician-dispensed drugs — continue to be a cost driver, according to the Workers Compensation Research Institute. Preliminary data from 28 states showed that the payment share of dermatologicals increased from 11% in 2015 to 21% in the first quarter of 2020, while opioids’ payment share…
State regulators have fined Northern Indiana Public Service Co. more than $1 million — the largest in Indiana history — for pipeline safety violations the utility has faced twice in the previous four years. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission ordered the natural gas supplier to pay $1.138 million in civil penalties for violations related to the company’s failure to locate…
An Illinois-based container shipping company faces proposed penalties of $156,038 after an employee suffered a leg amputation and crushed pelvis when he fell off and was then run over by a powered heavy-lift vehicle used to move and stack steel containers at the firm’s Chicago facility. The 30-year-old recent hire suffered the injuries after being allowed to ride unsecured on…
