Breaking News

MA Fraud allegations, IN Targets businesses, NA Air Ambulance cost increasing, NA AI in the hybrid workplace, NA Medical imaging. Massachusetts woman faces workers' comp fraud, perjury and larceny charges in Connecticut "charges that allege she unlawfully collected workers’ compensation benefits while employed" Indiana targets businesses hiring workers in country without legal permission - WISH-TV "Businesses could face fines for knowingly hiring workers living in the country without legal permission" Air Ambulance Costs in Workers' Comp Surged More Than 60% Over the Past Decade "air ambulance transport in workers' compensation climbed sharply between 2013 and 2024" Is workers' comp ready for AI in the workplace? - Insurance Business "Hybrid workplaces are blurring responsibility across employers and tech providers" Translating Medical Imaging Into Actionable Insights: How Radiologists Are Improving ... "medical imaging plays...

PA Co-employee, NA Resistance to change, TN Exclusive remedy, MN Exclusive remedy, NA Workplace Violence Pa. Supreme Court Has Upended Co-Employee Liability in Workers' Comp Cases "he Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act did not provide blanket immunity to all fellow employees" Paduda: Why Work Comp Won't Change| Workers Compensation News | WorkCompCentral "there is a cultural issue in comp, a risk avoidance at all costs metntality that is blocking needed change." Families of AES explosion victims prepare lawsuit, reject company's workers' comp defense "Their position that workers compensation in Tennessee is the exclusive remedy" Appeals court upholds comp exclusivity in fitness club assault - Business Insurance "fitness club referee who was assaulted during a basketball game was properly dismissed because his claims are barred by the exclusive remedy" On-demand, high risk? How the service economy fuels assault claims rise ...

CA Rising premiums, CA QME tips, NH Burden of proof, NA Psychological safety, NA Attorney immunity Workers' Comp Bureau of California Committee OKs 10.4% Increase in Pure Premium Filing "notable drivers of the change were increased frequency of cumulative trauma claims as well as higher medical costs" Kamin: DWC Posts Helpful QME Checklists - WorkCompCentral "has added thorough quality assurance checklists for med-legal evaluators" in California. N.H. Finds Evidence Points to 'Personal Risk' as Cause of Worker's Death "unanimously concluded that the estate did not carry its burden of proof that the carpenter's death arose from his employment." Psychological Safety on Jobsites Directly Reduces Incidents and Turnover, Analysis Shows "Poor communication contributes to nearly 70% of workplace incidents." In-House Attorney Immunity Under Scrutiny: Recent Lessons from the “Business Appellate Court” "Under Texas law, attorney im...

WI Amendments to law, NA WCRI Benchmarks 2026, NA Assaults are increasing,  PA Lapse shuts down fire company, NY Mamy doll proof not sufficient for mental mental claim Wisconsin Overhauls Workers' Comp With Act 145 in 2026 - The National Law Review "Wisconsin employers, insurers and claims professionals should take note of substantial amendments ... effective April 1, 2026" CompScope Benchmarks, 2026 Edition - WorkersCompensation.com "Join WCRI for a free 30-minute webinar on April 30 at 2 p.m. ET highlighting findings from the upcoming release of WCRI’s CompScope™ Benchmarks, 2026 Edition." Workplace Assaults Rose 5.3% Annually Over the Past Decade, With Health Care Bearing the Brunt "assaults climbed steadily from 2011 through 2022, driven overwhelmingly by violence in health care and social assistance settings" Workers' comp coverage lapse leads to interruption in Vandergrift fire departments' services - WPXI "Two (PA) fire departments ...

NA Pharmacy changes, NA Work safety and comorbidities, NC Insurance allegations, CA Wage and hour, AU Workplace stress. Don't Miss These 3 Important Changes in Workers' Comp Pharmacy This Month – April 2026 "Two have immediate effects on operations, and one is changing the competitive landscape" The Marie Pattern: Why Your Safest Employees Are Suddenly Getting Hurt "A pattern that’s hazy: the connection between invisible chronic conditions and comp claims. " Causey Says Recommended Lindberg Restitution 'Not Enough' for Harm Caused "Causey also pointed out that many policyholders were victims of Lindberg’s diversion schemes, and some of those will never be repaid." Eric Swalwell Is Facing Another Scandal – This Time It Involves His Nanny - Townhall "The complaint describes this as a workaround to keep the arrangement with Barbosa going." Nearly two million workers lose sleep over job pressure - Allianz "The findings suggest a ...

PA Loss cost decrease, NA Jurisdictional issues in offshore drilling, NA Mergers and acquisitions continue, NY employees v. contractors, CA Payroll fraud alleged. Insurance department approves workers' comp filings that help cut employer costs while ... "Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) announced that PID approved a decrease of 1.22 percent in “loss costs”" Who Pays When an Offshore Oil Rig Explodes in 2026? - LawFuel "Figuring out who pays after a catastrophic blowout requires picking apart overlapping maritime and state statutes. It’s rarely straightforward." MGA Deals Surge as Scale and Specialization Drive Growth - Risk & Insurance "Acquirers seek economies of scale and technology. If they have a tech advantage, they’re seeking new markets in which to apply it." GUEST COLUMNIST: New Ruling Makes It Easier to Classify Employees as Contractors "many organizations prefer...

NY Closing hearing location, NA Roadside worker protections, FL Horizontal immunity, OH Fraud order, and PA Sole proprietor reporting requirement Plattsburgh Workers' Compensation Board office to close - WAMC "The board says most of its activity is done virtually, although it does operate some offices for in-person hearings and other services." Florida court denies property manager of workers' comp immunity shield "for horizontal immunity to kick in, there must be a "contractor" at the top of the chain" Court Case Update, Florida and Pennsylvania - April 2026 - NCCI "he sole proprietor did not provide the required notice pursuant to section 311 (77 P.S. § 631)" Senators Introduce Legislation to Protect those Working along Roadsides National legislation "would protect first responders and other workers as they do their jobs roadside" Ohio cashier ordered to return $55K to Bureau of Workers Compensation after fraud conviction ...

TN severity obviates the need for proof, NA AI training and regulation, CA fraudster, VA rewrites motorist injuries, Judge orders medical benefits for injured worker living in Mexico - Business Insurance "the severity of the accident—including emergency airlift, a wired jaw and back surgery with implanted hardware—made the causal connection between the injury and current symptoms 'obvious,' eliminating the need for expert medical proof at this stage." AI Training Surges Across Organizations, but Governance Frameworks Lag Behind "Nearly two-thirds of businesses have delivered AI training to employees, more than two-fifths still lack formal AI risk management frameworks." Shady past of mega fraudster busted in $270M California scam "Randall set up Summit Medical Group and recruited chiropractors and physicians to refer workers’ compensation patients for spinal surgeries." New Virginia law rewrites the rules on underinsured motorist claims - Insurance...

NY Death threat, MN Subcontractor fraud allegations, NA Mental health resources Could Agent get Benefits for 2021 Death Threat by NYC Subway Rider? Contractor charged with workers' compfraud - Finance & Commerce “These charges relate back to charges against other individuals involved in a roofing ” business Survey shows that workers want more mental health support from employers Safety+Health Magazine “less than a third of employees receive any at work, results of a recent survey show.“

CA Consequences, LA Advisor Council, Safety and supports, IA PTD when plant closed, NA Networks reduce claim costs Consequences of not having workers' comp insurance - San Diego Union-Tribune "Labor Coe section 3700 requires virtually every private sector employer with one or more employees, including employees who are family members, to carry workers’ compensation insurance" House passes fee schedule, advisory council repeal bill - Business Insurance "Opponents of the advisory council have been arguing since at least 2018 that it is partisan and stacked against employers." Injury prevention technology reduces strain: safety study - Business Insurance "Technologies that provide direct physical support — such as exoskeletons and robotics — were most strongly associated with symptom reduction" Court affirms disability benefits after plant closure - Business Insurance "After the plant closed, she was unable to find new employment." Workers' ...

NA AI in adjusting, OH Unexplained fall, NA Costs ouf of network, PA Coverage for fundraising, NA Air ambulance continues to impact AI and the Adjuster: Driving Efficiency Without Losing the Human Touch - Risk & Insurance "it may help foster an increase in the adjuster’s ability to focus on the claims that need the most attention and allow for the enhancement of in-demand analytical skills" Ohio court OKs comp claim for unexplained workplace fall - Business Insurance "upheld a ruling allowing a correctional facility employee to participate in the state workers compensation system after an unexplained fall at work" Networks shift from cost tool to care driver in workers comp - Business Insurance "claims treated within networks had 26% lower total costs, faster access to care and shorter disability durations than out-of-network claims" House votes to provide workers' comp to volunteer firefighters, ambulance corps members ... “Without fundraising, ma...

USPS Fraud, NCCI and labor market, A Marijuana production death, and NCCI's deep dive into the economy. The bill came due in this workers' comp fraud case - USPS Employee News "sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $650,000 in restitution for falsely claiming workers’ compensation." NCCI releases the April 2026 Labor Market Insights report - WorkersCompensation.com "Employment growth sharply rebounded in March from February’s disappointing levels." Court rules Berkshire Hathaway must defend Trulieve in cannabis worker death suit "The process created significant amounts of airborne cannabis dust, and workers were often covered head to toe in "kief," a sticky powder produced during the refining process" NCCI to Deep Dive Into the Economy and Its Impact on WC at AIS 2026 NCCI "Evolving economic conditions continue to raise questions for many industry stakeholders,"

Soft fraud, CA costs soar, FL Two clocks, OH court reconsideration  The Entire Workers' Comp Playbook on Soft Fraud - WorkersCompensation.com "Workers’ compensation outcomes reveal whether systems support clarity or amplify confusion when pressure rises." Costs soar for troubled state program that pays workers up to $1700 weekly for various ailments "a program that pays up to $1,700 weekly to workers claiming disability for such conditions as diabetes, asthma and allergies. ... Some receiving payments also have claimed erectile dysfunction, toenail fungus, urinary tract infections and acid reflux in their medical evaluations." After 'Two Clocks' Workers' Comp Court Ruling, Will Florida Claims Be Reopened? "The case will have enormous implications, and I think there are probably thousands of cases where claimants have been erroneously advised that their cases have been closed" Ohio court orders review of summer disability benefits for school...

Utans scammed, CA Suing for premiums, Workers' Comp the band, CA Fee Schedule adjustment, ULC issues warning about nationwide scam targeting Utah workers' benefits   “No legitimate workers’ compensation process requires upfront payment to receive benefits.” Zurich sues California firms for $1.1 million in unpaid premiums | Insurance Business "Companies that supply temporary labor tend to carry highly variable payroll, and that variability makes accurate premium estimation inherently difficult." Workers Comp's Peter Mahoney on Surviving the DIY Scene - Workers' comp is a band, who knew? DWC posts adjustments to Official Medical Fee Schedule for Pathology and Clinical Laboratory "The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has posted an order adjusting the Pathology and Clinical Laboratory section of the Official Medical Fee Schedule"

Comp decision making, A New Book on Caring, OH must follow rules, Claims process evolving, True cost of work injury in AZ $50K thresholds and faster decisions: Inside the new workers' comp playbook "Even disciplined underwriting has limits, particularly as loss volatility increases. Nowhere is that more evident than in California, where cumulative trauma claims are becoming more expensive to resolve." 7000 US Workers Will Get Hurt Today. A New Book Says There is a Better Way to Care for Them "More than a decade in the making, Thank You For Holding is both an unflinching examination of a system that processes more than 7,000 newly injured American workers every day" Comp program must follow group-retro rules: Ohio high court - Business Insurance "'Administrative agencies are bound by their own rules,' the court said, emphasizing that regulations have the force of law and cannot be disregarded without formal rulemaking." Maintaining Trust as the ...

Evaluating pass through, LA frausd allegation WI Benefit increase, Fifth Circuit Health Care question, WI Substance abuse funding Express Scripts Racketeering: When Transparency Becomes Strategy Conversations across the market are centering on rebate structures, transparency, and the role financial incentives play in shaping clinical decisions.   New Orleans DJ fraudulently collected $37K in workers' comp benefits from S&WB, officials say "As a condition of receiving workers’ compensation benefits related to the injury, Murphy had to disclose any work activity or monthly earnings" Big raise on way for permanently and totally disabled workers in Wisconsin "more than 300 permanently and totally disabled recipients haven’t received a raise in their worker’s comp benefits since 2016." Fifth Circuit examines whether workers' comp is a health care benefit in pharmacy fraud appeal "Is the federal workers’ compensation program for government employees a “he...

KY denies mileage in AWW, Constitutional challenge to exclusive remedy in NC, Claims frequency in TX, AI governance Could Traveling Nurse Inject Mileage Reimbursement into her AWW? court "interprets 'wages' to exclude payments that are mere reimbursement of an employee’s expenses Poe Hall lawsuits test NC State's constitutional duties and PCB accountability - Technician The University is asking a judge to throw the case out, arguing their claims belong in workers’ compensation" Fort Worth, TX, Firefighters' Workers' Comp Claims Mostly Denied, Records Reveal | Firehouse "Fort Worth police and firefighters, perhaps unsurprisingly, report the highest number of on-the-job injuries of any city workers" The AI Confidence Gap: Why Workers' Compensation Leaders Need Better Governance "Misunderstanding artificial intelligence (AI) could put organizations and patients at risk."

Mixed economic indicators in comp, alleged theft when worker injured twice, sole proprietors in PA, Mental injury expansion, and defining health care providers. Hiring slowdown, wage growth create mixed outlook for comp: NCCI - Business Insurance "overall economic growth remained stable in 2025, the report points to a weakened labor market," Arlington man charged with theft in $80K workers' comp fraud case - MyNorthwest.com “After getting hurt at one job, and getting time-loss benefits for being too injured to work, Mr. Traff got hurt again at a second job, and tried to claim benefits for that injury, too,” Sole proprietors not required to notify insurer as employers: Pa. court - Business Insurance "a sole proprietor who is injured on the job is not required to notify a workers compensation insurer within 120 days to preserve eligibility for benefits" Mental injury on the job: Emerging legislative efforts to compensate workplace trauma "the majority of the ...

NA Legislative concerns, TN Rejected drug defense, FL Fraud of $38M, Tort reform 2026 Emerging Legislative and Regulatory Issues - NCCI "including mental injuries, workers compensation coverage presumptions, cancer-related initiatives, independent contractors/employee classification, as well as the regulatory frameworks related to marijuana and hallucinogens" Tenn. court orders employer to provide specialist care, rejects drug-use defense "insufficient evidence that the worker knowingly violated a safety rule or understood any such rule. " Orlando Man Pleads Guilty to His Role in Years-Long Off-the-Books Payroll Scheme "A Honduran national pleaded guilty today to conspiring with others as part of a years-long off-the-books payroll scheme that caused more than $38 million in losses to the U.S. government." Tort Reform Making Some Progress in Forestalling Massive Jury Awards - Risk & Insurance "Tort reforms are helping reduce huge damages that trigg...

Survior exclusive remedy, CA stone cutting safety, AU secondary psych, NY officer fraud, OH Volunteer labor.  Could Mom of Worker who had Heart Attack at Circle-K Double-Dip with WC Claim, Lawsuit? "concluded that because the employee was injured during the course and scope of employment, his survivor’s only remedy was worker’s compensation." Calif. bill would require certification for stone fabrication shops - Business Insurance "would create a statewide certification system for fabrication shops working with engineered stone and other slab materials, tightening oversight of silica exposure risks." Montgomery: Does State's Workers' Comp Cause Secondary Psych Injuries? "The report finds that workers facing delays in claims were four times more likely to report a persistently negative claims experience" An Upstate NY corrections officer claimed $70K in injuries, but surveillance cameras told a ... "officer will serve three years of probation af...

KY Take home liability, MN Safety and monitoring, Revised contractor definitions, AI adoption, FL medical expense for travel Comp exclusivity doesn't bar 'take-home' asbestos claims: Kentucky court " the claims fall outside the scope of the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act because the alleged injury did not arise out of employment." Bill targets workplace monitoring, expands health, safety oversight - Business Insurance "would regulate employers’ use of electronic monitoring tools, with provisions that could significantly affect workplace health and safety practices." Employee or Independent Contractor? US DOL Proposes to Revise Classification Standards "proposal is a shift back to focusing on the employer’s degree of control and the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss" The Formula Behind Successful AI Adoption in Workers' Comp - WorkersCompensation.com "The technology worked fine. The business case was solid. But nobody had plann...

Reshaping Claims Management, CO medical records, PA Challenging comp payments, Gradient AI with a triage tool, and VA cervical injury while helping coworker Three Forces Poised to Reshape Workers' Comp Claims Management in 2026 "Three forces — artificial intelligence, faster care pathways, and research-based insights" Colorado court clears Sedgwick's physician reference in workers' comp admission "such a reference does not, by itself, impose an impermissible limitation on the benefits a worker is entitled to receive." Court blocks medical supply company from challenging Hartford workers' comp payments "a medical supply company cannot use the state's workers' compensation Fee Review process to challenge insurer underpayments." Gradient AI Launches Workers' Comp Claims Triage Tool - Insurance Innovation Reporter "an AI solution that identifies complex claims at first notice of loss to support early" Does Workers' Com...

Virginia COVID bill, NYC employee attacks, Rikers Island fraud, PA first responders, and RI jurisdictional decision Virginia House passes COVID-19 presumption bill - Business Insurance "death and disability benefits for certain employees who contract COVID-19 and their families." NYC Workers Attack from the Bronx to Manhattan - WorkersCompensation.com "workers were targeted in three separate attacks across New York City over the past two weeks." Rikers Island Correction Officer Pleads Guilty To Making False Statements To Obtain ... “Todd Faustin fraudulently received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the City of New York by faking injuries " Pa. officials push for compensation to 1st responders hurt in state emergencies - Audacy "The concern is making sure firefighters, paramedics and other first responders injured during state-declared emergencies receive workers' compensation" Rhode Island Supreme Court blocks state worker's accidental d...