News

A trucking company and its insurance provider stand accused of conspiring to prevent its drivers from filing workers' compensation claims to avoid scrutiny and the potential of them being classified as employees. In an action filed in Madison County Circuit Court, a former driver claims he and others were misclassified as independent contractors, which resulted in them losing workers' compensation…

As more employees file workers compensation claims for post-traumatic stress disorder following shootings and other violent incidents, medical experts warn the condition can be diagnosed prematurely following an event or misdiagnosed altogether. It can be tough even for specialist to distinguish between conditions, experts say. Some employees witnessing an event can recover from the trauma without treatment, others may not…

Average medical and indemnity payments in workers comp claims increase with age, a study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute revealed Thursday. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based research group studied how age impacts claim costs, cost components and worker outcomes in its latest FlashReport. The study found little difference in injury rates and outcomes for workers regardless of their age. Injury rates…

The House of Representatives Wednesday passed a bill that would rewrite immigration requirements for immigrant farmworkers in the United States and require employers to provide workers compensation regardless of state laws. H.R. 5038, known as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019, contains provisions related to alien farmworkers, including provisions establishing a certified agricultural worker status and changing a certain…

The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed for a woman who alleged she is owed more in partial impairment benefits for an amputation on her hand than she was awarded by the Worker’s Compensation Board. While working for manufacturing company Foremost Fabricators, Gina Senter’s pinkie finger on her left hand got caught between two rollers on a roller machine. She…

A trucking company and its driver face accusations of negligence over a crash that allegedly caused injuries to another motorist. Thomas Ritchie filed suit Nov. 18 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Olero Inc. and driver Ilkhom Islomov in connection with the collision on Dec. 20, 2017, eastbound on I-64 close to the intersection with Rieder Road. Defendant Olero…

A building company fired one of its carpenters to send a message to other employees to not file a workers' compensation claim, a lawsuit states. LDC Homes, which is based in Edwardsville, terminated the employment of plaintiff Randy Klocke on June 13, according to the suit filed Nov. 15 in Madison County Circuit Court. Klocke had worked for the company…

A provider of services to rehabilitating injured workers, MedRisk Inc. has seen post-surgical physical therapy cases drop by 26% in the last five years, according to an industry trends report the company released Thursday. For its annual report, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based MedRisk examined recent changes, including relevant legislation, regulation and research, scouring its own data and other industry reports…