Tracking more than 500 pieces of comp-related legislation so far in 2020, the National Council for Compensation Insurance on Wednesday reported that this year’s “legislative trends and hot topics look very similar to 2019,” with workers compensation for first responders, medical marijuana and independent contractors remaining key issues. Bills affecting workers compensation for first responders are making headway among lawmakers,…
The Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill that would cap reimbursement for ambulatory outpatient surgical centers treating injured workers. Bipartisan bill H.B. 1332, introduced by Republican Rep. Matthew Lehman, passed with a 91-1 vote on Monday. The bill stipulates that reimbursement for ambulatory outpatient surgical center services covered under workers compensation may not exceed 225% of the Medicare reimbursement…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today convened the first meeting of a task force that will facilitate collaboration between the Attorney General’s office, county prosecutors and state agencies in order to better protect workers’ rights and law-abiding businesses in Illinois. The Worker Protection Unit Task Force was created under Senate Bill (SB) 161, which was initiated by Attorney General Raoul and…
A railway worker has accused his employer, Alton and Southern Railroad, of negligence following an accident at a rail yard. Dwayne Buchannon, who was employed by the Alton and Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of Union Pacific, filed suit Jan. 7 under the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) in St. Clair County Circuit Court, claiming he suffered serious injuries when struck…
The Illinois Workers Compensation Act does not allow medical providers to go after a workers compensation settlement received just after a bankruptcy filing. In Re Hernandez, the Illinois Supreme Court held on Friday that the proceeds of a workers comp settlement are exempt from claims made by medical providers who treated the injury or illness associated with that claim. Between…
A veteran police officer who ran a construction business does not qualify for a line-of-duty disability pension on the grounds that he did not prove his back condition was caused by a work incident, an appeals court in Illinois ruled Thursday. Terry Olson, who had been a police officer for the Village of Lombard for 29 years, applied for a…
A sushi restaurant cook who police said was attacked by his boss with a meat cleaver has filed a workers’s compensation claim, contending that the altercation came in the course of employment. Sushi Ya, said to be a popular restaurant with the Joliet legal community, was closed for a week after the bloody fight, according to a local news report….
Uncertainties on rising medical and indemnity costs, along with the continuing opioid crisis are among some of the top concerns of workers compensation experts going into 2020. With rising wages, increasing medical facility fees and new and expensive changes in medical care and pharmaceuticals, many in the industry are concerned about how costs may affect comp in the coming years….
Legislation introduced Monday in Indiana proposes to increase benefits for injuries and disablements by 2% each year over a three-year period. S.B. 202, sponsored by Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, would increase the benefits paid for each degree of permanent impairment and raise the average weekly wages for computing temporary total, partial and permanent disability maximum from $1,170 per week to…
Lawmakers in Indiana are considering a bill that would require the board of firefighting personnel standards and education to establish best practices to improve safety and health for firefighters. S.B. 258, slated for a Friday introduction in the state Senate, would also allow the workers compensation rating bureau of Indiana to provide a premium or rate discount toward workers compensation…
