Flash: $18M in Workers’ Comp Liens Dismissed
As the result of the Baker workers’ comp reforms the Division of Workers’ Compensation dismissed liens from nearly 1,000 workers’ comp cases. They are linked to a provider who was convicted of fraud and suspended from the system. Who was the provider and which cases were involved? Get the details here. Workers’ Comp Executive
COVID: Following protocols is best defense against employee liabilities
Can employees, or guests, such as contractors and customers, hold a company accountable if they believe they were infected with coronavirus at a company location? What’s an employers best line of defense? Crain’s Detroit Business
Ohio BWC board approves $1.5 billion dividend for employers
The board of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation on Friday approved a proposal to by the governor to send up to $1.5 billion in dividends, starting in October, in an effort to ease the impact of COVID-19 on Ohio’s economy and business community. This dividend initiative is similar to one BWC did in April, when an average check size was $8,500, according to the bureau. Crain’s Cleveland Business
Majority of workers’ comp claims of meatpacking employees with COVID-19 denied
As more Americans return to workplaces, the experience of employees of a large meatpacking company shows the difficulty of linking infections to employment and collecting workers’ compensation. In Minnesota, meatpacking employees filed 930 workers’ compensation claims involving COVID-19 as of Sept. 11, according to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. None were accepted, 717 were rejected and 213 were under review. Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Idaho workers’ compensation rates to decrease
Following a recommendation by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, the Idaho Department of Insurance has approved a proposal for a minus-1.7 percent overall rate change to Idaho workers’ compensation insurance, effective January 1, 2021. Big Country News
Iowa WCC extends virtual hearings
The Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commission has extended the suspension of in-person hearings. All workers’ compensation hearings scheduled through November 20, 2020 will be held via CourtCall, writes Joni Ploeger of Davis Brown. JD Supra
New Jersey creates presumption of workers’ comp coverage for ‘essential employees’
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law a rebuttable presumption of workers’ compensation coverage for COVID-19 cases contracted by “essential employees,” effective immediately and applicable retroactively to March 9, 2020. Examples of such employees deemed “essential” during the current state of emergency include, but are not limited to: grocery/food store employees; pharmacy employees; convenience store employees; cashier and store clerks; construction workers; or employees providing child care services to “essential employees” write three attorneys with Greenberg Traurig. National Law Review
California: Lamont nursery employee charged with insurance fraud
A 46-year-old Bakersfiled-area nursery worker has pleaded not guilty to 11 felonies that were filed after investigators say he misrepresented an injury to receive undeserved workers’ compensation benefits. The employee allegedly told his employer he injured his lower back and hip after slipping while working in a trench to repair a water line, continued to see a doctor and said his lumbar strain injury wasn’t improving. KGET (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Osteopath, office manager, pharmacy owner charged with fraud
An osteopathic doctor, his office manager and a pharmacy owner are among the latest arrests in a massive nationwide healthcare fraud investigation. The defendants allegedly paid kickbacks to two individuals in return for referrals for prescriptions of expensive “compounded medications,” including for pain creams. The pharmacy manager allegedly billed the Department of Labor Office Workers’ Compensation Program $2.5 million for prescriptions written by the doctor. Delaware County Daily Times (Swarthmore, Pa.)
New Jersey policeman admits to fraud involving off-duty work assignments
A policeman has admitted to conspiring to defraud Jersey City, New Jersey by obtaining compensation for off-duty work that she did not perform. The officer faces a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Shore News