Workers comp proposal being mulled in Florida

• An administrative law judge supports a proposal in Florida that would set payment amounts for hospital inpatient care.
• Workers’ compensation insurance companies had gone to an appeals court after a judge backed a state proposal that would set payment amounts for inpatient care at hospitals.
• The case center, on what is known as maximum reimbursement allowances that helps determine how much workers’ compensation insurers pay to hospitals for inpatient care.
• Workers’ comp companies went to the appeals court after an administrative law judge backed a state proposal that would set payment amounts for inpatient care at hospitals.
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Alberta has best-in-class firefighter coverage

• Increased presumptive cancer coverage by the government should ensure Alberta leads Canadian provinces in supporting firefighters in the province.
• After expanding presumptive coverage for firefighters who fought the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, the UCP government boosted cancer coverage for all firefighters.
• Firefighters are at greater risk for certain cancers and Alberta firefighters will now receive presumptive coverage for 20 different cancers.
• In addition, the UCP government has reduced the exposure time required for cancer already on the list.
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Partnership to prevent excavation accidents

• Thirty-nine people died doing trench or excavation work in the U.S. in 2022 – four in Illinois and two others in Ohio.
• The number of worker fatalities more than doubled since 2021, a trend cited by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that found 166 workers died in trench cave-ins from 2011-2018.
• OSHA is launching an outreach campaign in its Midwest region to work directly with employers, workers, state agencies, and industry associations­­­ to reduce and prevent serious injuries and fatalities suffered by workers in one of the nation’s most hazardous industries.
• The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation On-Site Consultation Program is among the groups participating in the program.
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Former MLB player seeks workers’ comp

• A baseball player did not have the training and qualifications required to recognize the relationship between his disability and the hazards of his employment, a workers’ comp tribunal said.
• Former MLB player Greg Vaughn filled the complaint against Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Rays, and Ace American Insurance Company.
• In April 2020, the workers’ comp administrative law judge ruled against the applicant because the limitation period in section 5405 time-barred the workers’ comp claim among other issues.
• The panel of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board disagreed with the workers’ compensation judge’s decision and said The judge should revisit the issue.
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