The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a denial of permanent partial disability benefits to an injured worker. Case: Underwood v. West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, No. 23-118, 08/01/2024,…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a widow’s claim for benefits, finding her late husband’s occupational pneumoconiosis had not materially contributed to his death. Sherman Bailey received…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld an award of benefits to the widow of a worker suffering from chronic myelomonocytic leukemia before contracting COVID-19 and dying. Case: PPG Industries Inc.

A federal appellate court upheld an award of black lung benefits for a longtime coal miner. Case: Consol PA Coal Co. v. OWCP, No. 23-1892, 09/17/2024, unpublished. Facts: Stephen Hela worked as an…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld an award of occupational disease-dependent death benefits to a worker’s widow. Case: Appalachian Boiler & Fab LLC v. Caruthers, No. 23-345, 09/23/2024, published. Facts: Johnny A.

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a denial of benefits for a hospital maintenance worker’s COVID-19 infection. Case: Morrill v. Lifepoint Hospitals Inc., No. 23-461, 09/23/2024, published. Facts: Curtis Morrill was a…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a referral to a neurosurgeon for evaluation of a condition that had not been accepted as compensable in a worker’s claim. Case:…

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis enacted a bill that will increase the cap on combined temporary disability and permanent partial disability benefits by 100% or more. Rep. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada Polis on…

The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that an administrative law judge had jurisdiction to determine whether an employer made an overpayment after it issued an admission of liability for a specific…

A divided Texas appellate court overturned a grant of summary judgment finding that an injured police officer was entitled to uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage under her own policy for an accident…

A Texas appellate court ruled that a worker’s death in a motorcycle accident while retrieving his company-issued laptop from home was not compensable. Michael Evans was a safety consultant for Xcel…

The Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday announced that the former co-owner of Bill Hall Jr. Trucking was sentenced to 10 years of deferred adjudication and ordered to pay restitution…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation posted proposed changes to its pharmacy benefit rules that remove obsolete provisions and update reference language for consistency with other regulations. “When the rules were originally adopted,…

A Texas appellate court ruled that an employer’s alleged administrative violations did not prevent it from presenting and prevailing on its exclusivity defense. Robert Lane worked for Odle Inc. After he allegedly suffered…

Benefits are increasing by about 3.8% for injuries sustained on or after Oct. 1, according to information that the Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation posted on its website. The maximum temporary…

The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation proposed rules to ensure that the agency is notified of an employee’s death before the Subsequent Injury Fund issues a lifetime income benefit payment. The…

The Washington Court of Appeals upheld the suspension of an injured nurse’s benefits because she refused to participate in a telehealth evaluation requested by her employer. Case: Novalic v. PeaceHealth, No. 58451-4-II, 07/16/2024, unpublished. Facts: Eldina…

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries fined a cabinet maker $187,000 after finding that the company did not fix safety violations that led to similar citations in 2019. L&I…

A man who allegedly started a metal fabrication shop just weeks after suffering a workplace injury was charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing about $340,000 in indemnity benefits, the…

The Claims Specialist's Start Guide: CA Adjuster Cert Process, Historical Overview, Organizational Structure of WC System, WC Terms and Concepts, Basic Benefits & TD and SJDB Vouchers.

This training will provide attorneys and physicians with everything you need to know about the medical-legal issues involved in "psyche" cases - from the initial diagnosis through the discovery process to the separate…

Join us for "A Brief History and the State of Medical Treatment".

Improving Benefit Adequacy for On-the-Job Injuries: the approach by the Texas Nonsubscriber Option might surprise you. …

This program will provide detailed instructions and skillsets to students for the successful SIU referral and prosecution thereof. The instructors will focus on red flags for fraud, identifying and documenting…

Settling work comp claims calls for a tricky balance. Payers want to limit the amount of money that is allocated to a Medicare Set-Aside and injured workers worry about running…

The Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission announced that maximum benefits for injuries, illnesses and deaths will increase 4.3% in January to match an increase in the state's average weekly wage. The state's…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a finding that a worker was entitled to benefits for a back injury, and that he was entitled to a magnetic resonance imaging…

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was not entitled to summary judgment on one aspect of his Labor Law claim. Case: Urquia v. Deegan 135 Realty LLC,  No. 22340/19,…

A New York appellate court partially overturned a grant of summary judgment dismissing a defendant’s indemnification claim against an injured worker’s employer. Case: Cooper v. BLDG 7th Street LLC, Nos. 153479/18,…

The Iowa Court of Appeals upheld an award of death benefits for a fatal prescription drug overdose saying evidence in the record was equivocal regarding whether the death was accidental…

The Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau announced that eligible carriers can request refunds of 2009 work comp security fund assessments through Feb. 24. Gov. Josh Shapiro in July signed HB 2310, a…

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was entitled to partial summary judgment on his Labor Law claim, and that a third-party defendant should have been granted summary…

A New York appellate court ruled that a Labor Law defendant should not have been granted summary judgment dismissing the claim against it. Case: Lopez v. Kamco Services LLC, No. 2022-05176,…

The Illinois Appellate Court upheld the denial of a disability pension to a police officer who refused surgery to address his injury. Case: Shirley v. Village of Clarendon Hills Police Pension…

This is a four-hour MCLE program that addresses the specific issues of the prosecution and defense of cases involving employee leasing companies, general-special employment law, and handling cases when the…

An Independent Medical Exam (IME) can be an effective tool for claims management, but navigating the timelines and regulations can be challenging, especially in the Golden State. In this…

In a case of first impression, Maine’s highest court ruled that a worker was entitled to an award of specific-loss benefits for the loss of vision in his eye on…

The Supreme Court of Tennessee’s Special Workers’ Compensation Appeals Panel rejected a constitutional challenge to the statutory construction requirements for the state Workers’ Compensation Law and the statutory definition of an…

The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals ruled that an employer could not be relieved of its obligation to provide continuing medical treatment to an injured worker after she aggravated her…

The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals upheld the denial of a widower’s claim for benefits for a nursing home worker’s death after her COVID-19 infection. Rose Harrison worked for the Marion Regional…

The Utah Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a former Walmart’s worker’s claim for permanent total disability benefits. Darlene Rouse worked for Walmart. She had physical limitations related to a…

The Utah Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a worker with a long history of health issues was entitled to temporary disability benefits for a closed period after an…

The Wyoming Supreme Court upheld the denial of additional treatment and benefits to a field engineer for her left foot and ankle complaints. Case: Zheng v. Wyoming, No. S-23-0277, 07/19/2024, published. Facts…

The North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld a finding that an injured airline employee was not entitled to additional benefits for his knee issues or mental health conditions. Case: Pierson v.

A law requiring the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and self-insured public employers to pay for diagnostic testing after air ambulance workers are exposed to certain hazards takes effect today. Gov.

An Ohio appellate court ruled that a worker was not entitled to relief from a decision rendered after a hearing she did not attend because she had not received the…

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation said a 7% rate cut for private employers took effect Monday. The 7% rate cut, which the BWC said would save employers about $67 million,…

An Ohio appellate court ruled that an employer was not entitled to relief from an enhanced award of benefits to a worker because it violated a specific safety regulation. Keith Rice…

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that a worker was not entitled to writ relief compelling the Industrial Commission to order his employer to pay for his medical treatments and pay…

An Ohio appellate court upheld an award of permanent partial disability benefits for a cancer-stricken firefighter. Case: State ex rel. City of Cincinnati v. Industrial Commission, No. 23AP-332, 10/17/2024, published. Facts: Michael…