Workers comp facing three significant trends
- Three key trends could impact the workers’ comp industry in the coming months, according to a National Council on Compensation Insurance report.
- Proposals clarifying whether a worker is classified as an employee of a company, eligible for workers’ comp, or independent contractor continue to be an issue in several states, including Rhode Island and Vermont.
- A single-payer health system is still being debated among federal and state lawmakers, but no decisions have been fully adopted among most states. S
- The use of medical marijuana for worker’s compensation also continued to be an issue as more states are mulling legalization.
Mass. company fined $650,000 in workers comp case
- A federal jury in Massachusetts has found that Construction Inc. and its CEO Pedro Pirez retaliated against an employee who reported an on-the-job injury.
- The employee was awarded $650,000 in damages – $600,000 in punitive damages and $50,000 in compensatory damages by a jury.
- The lawsuit alleged the defendants initiated the employee’s detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the employee reported a serious injury and caused OSHA to investigate.
- OSHA prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who exercise their rights.
Pie Insurance expands workers comp business
- Pie Insurance, which specializes in workers’ compensation insurance for small businesses, expanded into Alabama and Oregon.
- The company now offers coverage in 38 states and Washington, D.C., representing 89% of small businesses in the US.
- Pie offers workers comp coverage directly through the company’s website, independent insurance agents, or payroll providers.
- Small businesses can get a quote in three minutes and see savings of up to 30%, the company said. Insurance agents can get instant decisions on 73% of class codes through the company’s partner portal.
Utah worker killed, another injured in separate accidents
- A seasonal weed-control worker, 69-year-old William Dwaine Kossman, was killed and another was injured after they were involved in separate off-highway vehicles.
- Both employees worked for Box Elder County and neither was believed to be wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
- The injured employee remains hospitalized, and his name hasn’t been released.
- Kossman died at the scene.