News

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…