Conn. Ruling Reverts to Pre-Reform Benefits

March 31, 2025

 

CBIA Sees Court Ruling Hiking Connecticut WC Costs

  • Connecticut insurer trade group CBIA expects the state employers to face higher workers’ compensation costs as a result of a March 18 State Supreme ruling.
  • The court, in Gardner v. DMHAS, overturned earlier decisions by the Connecticut Appellate Court, the Compensation Review Board, and an administrative law judge and reinstated certain benefits to levels nearly equivalent to those before the 1993 workers’ compensation reforms.
  • As a result of the ruling, the value of many workers’ compensation awards and settlements will increase significantly, leading to substantially higher costs for the state, municipalities, businesses, and nonprofit employers, CBIA said.
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Louisiana Pols Take Another Shot at Medical Fee Schedule

  • Louisiana legislators are again mulling a medical fee schedule for workers compensation, following several unsuccessful attempts in recent years.
  • H.B. 117, filed March 24, states that such a fee schedule “shall be reasonable when compared to the workers compensation reimbursement schedule” of neighboring states.
  • The latest measure also calls on regulators to examine “potential” administrative and procedural relief for healthcare providers to ensure expedited care and payment, and processes to expand medical markets to increase access to patient care.
  • A year ago, two bills were introduced on the same day and for the second time in that legislative session, proposing to create a medical fee schedule to set guidelines for WC costs.
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NY Implements Changes to DME Request Process

  • The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board on Friday implemented a new enhancement to durable medical equipment (DME) prior authorization requests (PARs).
  • Under the change, if the NYWCB DME fee schedule doesn’t specify the cost of an item, the estimated cost provided by the provider for the DME item in a PAR will be noted on all subsequently issued Orders of the Chair.
  • Any draft PARs from providers and their delegates and draft PAR responses from payer reviewers that were in the system prior to 6 p.m. on March 28, were automatically removed, according to the WCB notice.
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