Iowa Employer Pleads Guilty After Operating Without Workers’ Comp Coverage
- Hawkeye Waste Systems admitted it operated without required workers’ compensation insurance after an employee died from head trauma on the job.
- Investigators discovered the lapse when the worker’s widow received a large medical bill because no coverage was in place.
- State officials confirmed the employer had neither a valid workers’ comp policy nor approval to self‑insure.
- The owner pleaded guilty to a felony charge tied to failing to maintain workers’ compensation coverage.
Utah Bill Would Add THC Presumption to Workers’ Comp Claims
- House Bill 281 would revise Utah’s workers’ compensation statute by creating a rebuttable presumption that cannabis or THC use contributed to a workplace injury when test results exceed a set threshold.
- It clarifies when benefits may be reduced or denied based on intoxication or employee misconduct.
- The measure also outlines testing standards and procedures for verifying results in contested claims.
- It further explains how injured workers may challenge the presumption through medical or evidentiary proof.
Study Finds Injectable Therapies Rising as Major Workers’ Comp Cost Driver
- Nearly four in 10 lost‑time workers’ compensation claims involved at least one injectable therapy within two years of injury.
- A new WCRI study found average payments varied widely by state, ranging from $362 in California to $2,404 in LouisianaWCRI – Workers Compensation Research Institute.
- Researchers said injectables are increasingly used as alternatives to surgery and oral pain medications.
- The report highlights their growing role as a significant medical cost driver in workers’ compensation.