Monthly Archives

August 2018

US DOL Investigations Result in $59,926 In Back Wages for 92 Indiana Lawn Care Workers

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Ninety-two current and former employees of two Indiana lawn care companies – Super Cutz Lawn Care LLC and Precision Cut Lawn Service – have received $59,926 in back wages following two investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) that found employers violated overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In its…

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Too many Americans die on the job. Are things about to get worse?

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Who remembers Alphonse Maddin? Maddin came briefly to national attention in spring of 2017, after Donald Trump appointed Neil Gorsuch to the supreme court. Maddin was a truck driver and the central character in one of Gorsuch’s worst opinions as a circuit court judge. His story is one of the rare prominent examples of a vast, hidden world of American…

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Spotlight: Insurance loopholes need to be eliminated

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Physicians, hospitals and other providers that treat Illinois’ injured workers are in a severe crisis. In recent years, workers’ compensation insurers have exploited loopholes to avoid complying with basic requirements of Illinois law. It’s time to eliminate these loopholes. The issue is enforcement of current laws requiring timely workers’ compensation insurer approvals and health care provider reimbursement — these profitable…

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Insurance company alleges Vforce owes more than $600,000 for policy

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

A Sacramento business is alleged to have failed to pay a premium for an insurance policy. Zurich American Insurance Co. of Illinois filed a complaint on July 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California against Vforce Inc., doing business as Vforce Staffing Solutions, and Does 1 to 100 alleging breach of contract. According to the…

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Wyoming mail hauler indicted for $1.9 theft

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

A Wyoming based mail hauler has been indicted by a Stark County Grand Jury for allegedly defrauding the United States Postal Service of $1.9 million in insurance premiums. The indictment was filed July 13, 2018 and a warrant for arrest was issued. Keith A. Ratcliff, 53, has been charged with multiple felonies including theft by deception, a Class X felony,…

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Medications down in workers comp sector: Report

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Prescribing in the workers compensation industry is down across the board, including a 65.1% drop in the costs for compound medications, according to a report released Tuesday by Coventry Workers Comp. The third in a series covering workers comp drug trends, Downers Grove, Illinois-based Coventry reported on the state of opioids and compound medication prescriptions for injured workers. According to…

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Illinois taxpayers bear the costs of workers’ comp settlements

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Illinois’ workers’ compensation laws are so outdated that it costs taxpayers more than in any other state in the region and hinders the state’s economy, according to the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI). A July report by the institute states that workers’ comp insurance and income injured workers receive while out of work costs state and local government $1 billion annually….

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What are the Statutes for Indiana Personal Injury Lawsuits?

By Personal Injury No Comments

Indiana, like all states, has a Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Lawsuits. These statutes are important to a fair process, and avoid a situation where a possible defendant suffers from long-term stress of a possible case. Statutes are important for a few other reasons as well: The injured party should pursue their case with reasonable diligence if it is…

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Court rules former Indianapolis Colt ineligible receiver of California workers comp

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

With the start of the NFL’s 99th season barely a month away, today we tackle how workers compensation applies to cumulative injuries on the field that later result in disability. In a recently published decision, the California Court of Appeal rejected former defensive tackle Larry Tripplett’s attempt to get California workers compensation for cumulative trauma (CT) he sustained during his…

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Predictive analytics emerges as workers comp best practice

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

High-performing workers compensation claims organizations use predictive modeling eight times more frequently than firms with less success in closing claims, according to recent research on a practice that experts say has grown swiftly over the past decade. “I think we are at a tipping point, at least in terms of using predictive analytics to improve claims management and claims practices,”…

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