workers’ compensation News

NC Appeals Court Says Injured Off-Duty Law Officers are Joint Employees

The question has arisen many times around the country: Is an injured, off-duty law officer, moonlighting on security or traffic control, considered an employee of the law enforcement division or a private company? The North Carolina Court of Appeals answered …

Wegman’s Has Right to Question Injured Worker’s Doctor, Rules New York’s High Court

Wegman’s Food Markets was wrongly denied an opportunity to cross-examine an injured employee’s doctor, the New York Court of Appeals has ruled, overturning rulings by a workers’ compensation law judge, the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board and a lower …

WCRI: Consolidation of Health Care Leads to Higher Costs, Longer Disability Duration

Consolidation of health care services into large corporations that own hospitals, clinics and physician practices may hold the promise of more efficient and better-integrated care, but hasn’t led to better outcomes for workers’ compensation patients, according to a new study …

Maryland’s Workers’ Compensation Bars Non-Dependent Child’s Wrongful Death Claim

A non-dependent adult child whose father died on the job does not have a right to bring a wrongful death claim against her late father’s employer, the Maryland Appellate Court has ruled. The appeals court affirmed a circuit court that …

Viewpoint: California COVID-19 Presumptions Set to Expire

California’s COVID-19 presumptions will expire on Jan. 1, 2024, which means employer-related outbreak reporting and shortened-decision timeframes are going the way of the dinosaur. The last sentence of Labor Code sections 3212.86, 3212.87, and 3212.88 says that they expire on …

Calif. Work Comp Doc, Arrested Before but Not Convicted, Charged with Insurance Fraud Again

A Northern California doctor is charged — once again — with insurance fraud for allegedly overcharging workers’ compensation insurers for services at his pain management practice. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged Dr. Gary Martinovsky and his office assistant …

Eight Texas Chemical Plant Workers Treated for Toxic Gas Exposure

Eight people were taken to a hospital for treatment on Monday after a toxic gas leak at Altivia Chemicals’ plant in La Porte, Texas, local officials said. An update on their condition was not immediately available. The city canceled a …

Florida Injury Attorney Begins Prison Time for Defrauding Former Players in NFL Lawsuit

A Florida injury attorney who led a class-action lawsuit on behalf of former NFL players, then defrauded his clients out of millions of dollars, is in federal prison after he was sentenced to 14 years. Phillip Timothy Howard, 62, who …

State Supreme Court Upholds Attorney Fees in Tennessee Workers’ Comp Case

In what could be seen as a rare win for the claimants’ bar in Tennessee, the state Supreme Court upheld a $50,500 award of attorney fees, an amount that is almost double the workers’ compensation benefits paid to the injured …

Claims Business: NYSIF, Alacrity and Tenco

NYSIF Launches Mobile Claims App New York State Insurance Fund has launched a new Claim Mobile App to improve communication and provide injured workers with real-time information about their workers’ compensation claims. The app allows claimants to access their claim …