WorkCompNews

NA - AI accretion; IA - Vaccine reaction not comp; CA - agency probes employees using comp funds One Cupcake at a Time: Building Trust in AI - Risk & Insurance "What they're discovering is that capability means nothing if employees don't trust it. Adoption succeeds or fails with each action in the gap between the promise of success and fear of the unknown." Court rejects workers' comp claim over employee's COVID vaccine reaction - HRD America "a city's vaccine encouragement fell short of 'strong urging,' leaving one worker's severe reaction outside workers' comp. " California agency taps workers comp funds to probe its employees. 'A huge slush fund' " The probe, conducted by an outside firm, not only cost him his health and reputation, he said, records show it cost the department an estimated $80,000, which was paid from workers’ compensation funds.

NA - Professor John Burton passes; NA - Fee schedule changes; NA - AI in claims; TN - Training by the Bureau John Burton Passe s An icon economist who critiqued workers’ compensation  Medicare's 2026 Fee Schedule Shifts Signal Modest but Uneven Pressure on Workers' Comp Costs "Physician payment rates rebound after five years of decline" AI Workflow Coordination is the New Competitive Advantage in U.S. Workers' Comp: Report "white paper suggests that AI in workers compensation is best maximized when embedded directly into a framework of coordinated operational workflows" Bureau Offers Two Workers' Comp 101 Training Sessions This September - TN.gov "Tailored for HR professionals, safety officers, business owners, and supervisors, these sessions will empower local industries to handle workers’ compensation matters with clarity and competence."

NA - Delay in indemnity explained; NA - Data to drive better care; TX - Cancer presumption criticism. Why Your Workers Comp Check May Still Be Delayed | FinancialContent "workplaces are getting statistically safer; if you’re the one waiting, though, national safety averages don’t pay your grocery bills." From Data to Better Outcomes: MedRisk CEO Sri Sridharan on the Future of Workers' Comp "to improve patient care, optimize medical costs and create stronger partnerships across the claims ecosystem." I-Team update: He died fighting cancer. His widow is still fighting the workers' comp system "46% of cancer claims that firefighters filed in Texas between January 2021 and April 2026 were denied."

NA - Whole person approach to Comp; KY - Sugrogation claims; MD - Exclusive remedy. Beyond the Injury: Reshaping Workers' Compensation with a Whole Person Health Approach "the workers' compensation industry is rethinking how it cares for injured workers." Insurer joins Louisville UPS crash lawsuit to recover benefits paid to victim's family - WDRB "The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report found the plane’s left engine caught fire and detached during takeoffThe National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report found the planes left engine caught fire and detached during takeoff" Did Icy Freezer Floor let Worker Skate into Court with Tort Lawsuit? "What’s more, management, he said, was aware of the dangerous condition but continued to require him to work there."

NA - Provider data at WCI; NA - How investment is taxed or not; OH - extraordinary dividend headlines driven by COVID Perspecta Targets Workers' Comp Market at WCI Conference - MyChesCo "the provider-data company sponsors the opening reception at the 80th annual Workers’ Compensation Institute Conference in Orlando" His Employer Spent $52500 Retraining Him for the Robot Age. Social Security Counted $0. "That saves the worker income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes today. The less obvious consequence is that excluded compensation does not help calculate his future Social Security benefit." What we learned about how nearly 80% of DeWine-era workers' comp dividends went out in ... "80% of that total was distributed through three extraordinary dividends in 2020, when Ohio used the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation system to provide financial relief during the COVID-19 pandemic."

CA- Failure to secure insurance and tax evasion; IL - Law change could raise rates; ME - Dependency and death benefits Nursery owners settle with tenants who lived in illegal structures on the property. "They also pled no contest to tax evasion and failing to secure workers compensation insurance" Workers' comp law could raise employer costs | US & World News | fox21online.com "a new Illinois law could reverse the state’s gains in workers’ compensation reform." Dependency at Time of Injury, not Resulting Death, Determines Right to Survivor's Benefits in Maine "eligibility for workers' compensation death benefits hinges on dependency at the time of the injury, not at the time of death"

 NA - WCI 2026 Dave's Picks for the WCEC Program; OR - Sovereign immunity persists; NA - The evolving role of claims; NA - The Gig economy. Dave's Suggestions "In order, here are the things I would strive to put on my agenda." Oregon Worker's Claim Against State Runs into Workers' Comp Immunity Barrier "The legislature may retain immunity for claims against the state itself." Rethinking the Role of the Claims Professional - Risk & Insurance "Medical care is more specialized, recovery paths are less predictable, and employers expect greater transparency and better outcomes." The Renewal Date Was Never the Real Question - Buttondown "The pitch from the platforms is autonomy"