NY Court Tosses Reimbursement Bid for Firefighter Injuries New York’s Court of Appeals ruled April 10 that the city of Newburgh can’t recover overpaid disability supplements from a retired firefighter’s workers’ compensation benefits. The ruling in Matter of Schulze v. City of Newburgh Fire Department affirms the limits of employer reimbursement rights under the state’s […]

  Illinois WCC Bans Use of AI Devices in Proceedings The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission has issued a notice to attorneys and self-represented litigants that the use of artificial intelligence and recording devices is prohibited. The notice supplements the current Arbitration and Review Procedures concerning Monthly Status Calls, Pre-Trial, Trials, Oral Arguments, and Review Call […]

  SMB Group Pushes for Montana WC Reforms as Pols Near End of Session The National Federation of Independent Business is asking for Montana small businesses to push state lawmakers to pass a workers’ compensation program reform bill before their current session ends on May 9. Senate Bill 345 would reduce costs, streamline the system, […]

  New York State WC Fraud Up 28% in 2024 The New York state inspector general’s office said workers’ compensation fraud uncovered during 2024 was up 28.4% compared to the previous year. The office’s investigation resulted in 14 arrests, a 30% increase from 2023, according to its annual report released Tuesday. Inspector General Lucy Lang […]

  Washington State WC Upgrade Remains in “Planning” Phase After Decade The upgrade of Washington State’s workers compensation system remains in the “planning” phase some 10 years after it began, and is one of the state’s largest and most-delayed IT projects, according to the Seattle Times. Some $31 million has already been spent and officials […]

  OMB Seeks Deregulation Ideas From ‘Inventive, Hardworking’ Americans The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking ideas for deregulation from the general public, asking for comments on rescinding “any and all regulations currently in effect,” according to a Friday posting in the Federal Register. “Americans are the most inventive, hardworking, and […]

  Colorado Unions Push Bill to Expand Doctors Pool Colorado labor advocates are pushing a bill that would expand the number of doctors that injured workers can choose from for treatment. The change proposed in HB 1300 would expand the choices from the four that injured workers are now offered by employers to about 1,200 […]

  Viatris to Pay $335 Million in Opioid Settlement Viatris has agreed to pay $335 million for its part in a nationwide settlement framework to resolve opioid-related claims by states, local governments, and tribes. “While the Company’s presence in the U.S. opioids market is very small, the Company has agreed to this settlement to provide […]

  Louisiana Jury’s $411M Could Be Biggest WC Award A Louisiana jury has awarded $411 million to a Texas scaffolding contractor who was hit on the head by a heavy metal pipe while working at a Lake Charles refinery, according to local media. The damages the Baton Rouge jury awarded included $109 million for future […]

    Enlyte Medical Price Index Shows Big Rises in Texas, California Enlyte Medical’s latest Quarterly Medical Price Index Report showed Texas and California saw the biggest year over year increases in the workers compensation component of the overall index. Those increases were 8% and 3%, respectively from 2023 to 2024, while decreases were seen […]