Oregon Claims Low Rates Reflect Cost Controls, Safer Workplaces

• Oregon’s workers’ compensation rates remain among the lowest in the nation reflecting the state’s ongoing success in making workplaces safer and keeping costs under control, according to a biennial analysis by the state’s Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS).
• While Oregon had the 14th least expensive rates in 2024, the state fell in the rankings by four spots from a 2022 study, despite having a lower premium index rate, because rates in other states dropped further, DCBS said.
• Oregon’s index rate is 89 cents per $100 of payroll, down from 93 cents from 2022 and its lowest rate in the history of the study.
• The state’s workers’ compensation rates have declined another 3.2% since the 2024 effective date used in the study.
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Texas WC Judge Challenges Gag Order on Death Claim Records

• Francisca Okonkwo, a judge with the Texas Department of Insurance – Division of Workers’ Compensation has appealed a temporary injunction that prevented her from subpoenaing the mental health records of Lauren Brittane Smith, a first responder who died following a long work shift for Fort Bend County.
• In the case, Smith’s widower, Joshua David Heiliger, is seeking death benefits from the county, claiming Smith’s job-related stress triggered a fatal stroke.
• The county requested Okonkwo issue a subpoena for her psychiatric records.
• In a brief, Okonkwo said the subpoena was legally valid and that the mental health records are not privileged in this context.
• She argued that the request for death benefits places Smith’s mental health directly at issue, which makes the records relevant and disclosable.
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Webinar to Cover ‘Significant’ Connecticut WC Changes

• Goldberg Segalla will host a webinar on June 25 covering recent legislative amendments to Connecticut’s Workers’ Compensation Act, which the firm describes as “the most significant changes to the act in the last 30 years.”
• Led by partners Samantha Levasseur and Brian Smith, the one-hour webinar will focus on the impact the amendments will have on current and future claims in Connecticut, as well as identifying the issues that are likely to be litigated as a result.
• Recommended participants include: Claims Handlers, Claims Supervisors, and Workers’ Compensation Managers/Risk Managers.
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