Ivans Q2 Index: Only Workers’ Compensation Saw No Premium Renewal Rate Change The Q2 2024 Ivans Index found that workers’ compensation insurance was the only major commercial line of business that failed to show a year-on-year premium renewal rate increase. General Liability and Workers’ Compensation were the only major commercial lines to experience a […]

  Something’s Askew in California WCI Rating Bureau Data California legislators and policymakers aren’t getting an accurate view of the state of the workers’ compensation industry from data compiled by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, according to analysis by our sister publication Workers’ Comp Executive. Most legislators and policymakers who lack depth in insurance […]

  New Delaware Law Loosens Qualifications for Workplace Safety Insurance Delaware employers can now more easily qualify for a workplace safety insurance program, entitling them to reduced workers’ compensation premiums. Gov. John Carey signed legislation on July 17 that eliminated a requirement that employers pay $3,161 or more in annual WC premiums to qualify for […]

  Ex-Postal Worker Gets Probation in Six-Figure WC Fraud   A former Delaware U.S. Postal Service employee who bilked nearly $100,000 in workers’ compensation benefits has been sentenced to probation. According to court records, Lakisha Hines was injured at work in 2006 and began receiving workers’ compensation benefits, which were her only source of income for […]

  Marsh Sees Q2 Workers Compensation Revenue Decrease MarshMcLennan reported that its second-quarter revenue from its workers compensation business decreased in “low single-digits,” without specifying a figure.  The company reported a similar decline for the first quarter. Typically, the company does not report details on the segment. In an earnings call with analysts on Thursday, […]

  Mississippi SC Rules Misrepresentation Not Grounds for Insurer to Rescind Policy The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that an insurer cannot rescind a workers’ compensation policy, despite material misrepresentation by the insured. The June 27 ruling in American Compensation Insurance Co. (ACIC) vs. Hector Ruiz, Jesco et al. found that the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation […]

Convicted Murderer Gets Probation in Texas WC Fraud Case Frances Hall was sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication in Texas last week after pleading no contest to charges that she was part of a multi-million dollar workers’ compensation fraud scheme. She was charged in 2022 over providing false payroll information over a seven-year period to […]

  Wide Disparities Seen in Mental Health Coverage for First Responders An academic study out this week revealed significant differences in how states prioritize workers’ compensation for first responders experiencing mental injury. Research from the Center for Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends (FIRST) and published in the Journal of Public Health Policy found that […]

Massachusetts Court Says WC Insurers Eligible to Tap Trust Fund for Old Claims Arrowood Indemnity Co. should have been entitled to reimbursement from the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Trust Fund despite having stopped issuing new WC policies there in 2003, according to a July 11 Massachusetts Appeals Court ruling. The court vacated a review board decision […]

Swiss Re Industry Assessment Sees Headwinds for WC Reinsurers A decade of extended profitability for the U.S. workers’ compensation reinsurance market could be coming under threat, analysis by Swiss Re shows, with the assessment showing the following: Despite significant reserve redundancy, reserve releases in recent years have masked underlying deterioration of Accident Year combined ratios. […]