Lethal fentanyl prescriptions could have been administered
- There were four opioid-related deaths of claimants in the U.S. Department of Labor’s federal employee workers’ compensation program in a six-year period.
- An inspector general’s report said a lack of oversight led to patients receiving “potentially lethal drugs.”
- The report identified several instances in which the workers’ compensation program paid hundreds of millions of dollars on prescription drugs that may have been wasteful, unnecessary, or dangerous.
- Though the program had policies in place that governed when and how certain prescriptions could be covered, oversight did not ensure rules were followed.
Read more
School board wants worker’ comp for teacher who was shot
- The Virginia school district where a 6-year-old shot his teacher argued that her injuries fall under the state’s workers’ compensation act and cannot be addressed through her $40 million lawsuit.
- Abigail Zwerner was clearly injured while at work, at her place of employment by a student in the classroom and the Newport News School Board wants the lawsuit dismissed.
- The school board also rejected Zwerner’s claim that she could reasonably expect to work with young children who pose no danger.
- Zwerner was shot in the hand and chest on Jan. 6 as she sat at a reading table in her first-grade classroom at Richneck Elementary and she spent nearly two weeks in the hospital.
Read more
Gaps in workers’ comp system
- An Uber driver in Vancouver who is unable to work after he was attacked by a passenger is calling for better protection for fellow workers.
- Aman Sood is asking for the government to make sure contract workers like him are covered by WorkSafeBC.
- Sood’s injuries, including nerve damage to his neck and shoulder and a sprained wrist, have left him unable to work and without a source of income.
- The B.C. Federation of Labour officials said the incident shows a system that leaves independent contract workers unable to receive workers’ comp when they are injured on the job.
Read more
More evidence needed for shooting, workers’ comp damaged
- A judge in Chesapeake, Virginia, has allowed 30 more days for lawyers to gather additional evidence for a lawsuit filed against Walmart nearly five months after a shooting killed six people.
- Lawyers for Walmart and former employee Briana Tyler argued in Chesapeake Circuit Court about whether her injuries should be covered by workers’ comp or through civil damages.
- Tyler says she narrowly missed being shot by the gunman identified as Andre Bing.
- She is seeking $50 million in damages from the company for failing to fire the shooter despite repeated complaints and concerns raised by other employees about his disturbing behavior.