A decade’s worth of injury data shows injured workers are taking longer times to recover, just as workers compensation claims frequency continues to decline, according to a report released Tuesday by The Travelers Cos. Inc. Travelers’ data showed there were 1.2 million claims received during the past five years, down from 1.4 million from 2015 through 2019, yet highlighted areas…
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission on Wednesday issued a notice to attorneys and all self-represented litigants that the use of artificial intelligence and recording devices is prohibited during proceedings. The notice addresses procedural rules for monthly status calls, pre-trial trials, oral arguments and review call conferences. It states that the use of any AI device or software during arbitration status…
Litigation over how much of an alleged work injury falls under workers compensation and how much is related to an existing degenerative condition is likely to rise as the workforce ages and medical screenings are interpreted differently, legal experts say. A report released late last month by the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that degenerative comorbidities, such as disc disease…
The workers compensation industry has mostly rejected covering increasingly popular weight-loss injections, but that hasn’t stopped doctors treating injured workers from prescribing the drugs to patients, according to experts. Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. saw a 46% increase in prescriptions for drugs such as Ozempic, WeGovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, but “very few” are approved by workers compensation payers, according to…
An Illinois appellate court said an injured worker’s subjective complaint of pain was sufficient evidence to support a determination that her repetitive trauma claim was compensable. Dora Potts claimed a repetitive trauma injury to her left shoulder over the 14 years she worked as a dental hygienist for Tazewell County. A doctor in April 2019 diagnosed her with acute pain…
Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill to create rules for employers whose workers are exposed to extreme temperatures. S.B. 2501, introduced Friday, calls on the state’s director of labor by Jan. 1, 2026, to adopt rules to establish “excessive heat and excessive cold standards” for when temperatures fall below 40 degrees or above 90 degrees. The bill provides guidelines on…
Illinois lawmakers are considering bills that would nix the state’s workers compensation fee schedule in 2026 and replace it with another, and add guidelines in workers comp code on attorney’s fee for arbitrated claims. H.B. 2840, introduced Wednesday, would make existing medical fee schedules inoperative after Aug. 31, 2026, and calls on the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission to establish a…
Illinois’ altered workers’ comp law doesn’t block asbestos plaintiffs and others who discover diseases allegedly caused by workplace exposures to toxic substances from suing their former employers, even if the alleged disease-causing exposure happened many decades in the past, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled. On Jan. 24, the Illinois Supreme Court sided with the family of a man who…
Bills that would overhaul the law governing compensable workplace injuries and those suffered while traveling were filed in Illinois Friday. H.B. 1253, which would take effective immediately upon passage, would provide “that an injury arises out of and in the course of employment only if the accident significantly caused or contributed to both the resulting condition and the disability,” according…
Two bills that would affect workers compensation presumptions for firefighters and emergency medical professionals are being considered in Illinois. H.B. 1292, introduced Monday, would create a rebuttable presumption that post-traumatic stress disorder arose out of the work conducted by firefighters, all levels of emergency medical technicians, and paramedics. The change would amend state workers comp law that already provides such…
