Category

Workers’ Compensation

AFL-CIO calls on OSHA to create temp standard for pandemics

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The AFL-CIO is calling on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to create an emergency temporary standard to protect workers from the potential coronavirus pandemic and future infectious agents. The Washington-based AFL-CIO, which represents union workers nationwide, issued a statement Friday warning of the potential for a deadly pandemic. It said current estimates show that more than 19 million…

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Early care can help mitigate mental issues tied to workplace injuries

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Workplace injuries often can lead to mental health issues, including opioid use and even suicide, experts said during a panel discussion Friday at the Workers Compensation Research Institute’s 36th Annual Issues & Research Conference. To help workers better cope after an injury, they recommend mental health interventions and “warm handoffs” to employee assistance programs. “People who were injured at work…

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Indiana House passes bill modifying comp timelines

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The Indiana House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation Tuesday to modify several workers compensation timelines. S.B. 269, which also unanimously passed the Senate in late January, would require workers compensation insurer or the employer of the injured worker to file report of payment of compensation for claims with the state’s workers compensation board within 14 days. Current law allows for…

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Comp pays more than group health for comparable injuries: NCCI

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Workers compensation pays more than group health to treat comparable injuries, according to a new study comparing costs for treating various injuries in 27 states. The Boca Raton, Florida-based National Council on Workers Compensation analyzed data on 12 different common workers compensation medical conditions going back 10 years and compared the prices and quantity of care with the same injuries…

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Does IL workers’ comp law trump biometrics class actions over fingerprint scans? Appeals court poised to answer

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As a growing number of plaintiffs’ lawyers use an Illinois biometrics privacy law to target Illinois employers with potentially crippling class actions, a state appellate court will soon weigh in on whether the state’s workers’ compensation law can be used to punch out the widening field of lawsuits. A decision on the question could have potentially huge ramifications for the…

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Lawmakers consider comp for first responders with PTSD

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Lawmakers in Illinois are considering workers compensation legislation that would provide workers compensation to first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. H.B. 5569 was sent to the rules committee on Tuesday and would amend the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act and the Workers’ Occupational Diseases Act and apply to firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Lawmakers on Tuesday also introduced H.B….

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Agency reports 2020 comp legislative trends similar to 2019

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Tracking more than 500 pieces of comp-related legislation so far in 2020, the National Council for Compensation Insurance on Wednesday reported that this year’s “legislative trends and hot topics look very similar to 2019,” with workers compensation for first responders, medical marijuana and independent contractors remaining key issues. Bills affecting workers compensation for first responders are making headway among lawmakers,…

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Indiana House passes bill to cap some comp surgeries

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The Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill that would cap reimbursement for ambulatory outpatient surgical centers treating injured workers. Bipartisan bill H.B. 1332, introduced by Republican Rep. Matthew Lehman, passed with a 91-1 vote on Monday. The bill stipulates that reimbursement for ambulatory outpatient surgical center services covered under workers compensation may not exceed 225% of the Medicare reimbursement…

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IL: Attorney General Raoul Convenes First Meeting Of Worker Protection Task Force

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Attorney General Kwame Raoul today convened the first meeting of a task force that will facilitate collaboration between the Attorney General’s office, county prosecutors and state agencies in order to better protect workers’ rights and law-abiding businesses in Illinois. The Worker Protection Unit Task Force was created under Senate Bill (SB) 161, which was initiated by Attorney General Raoul and…

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Railroad employee sues employer over injury claims on the job

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A railway worker has accused his employer, Alton and Southern Railroad, of negligence following an accident at a rail yard. Dwayne Buchannon, who was employed by the Alton and Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of Union Pacific, filed suit Jan. 7 under the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) in St. Clair County Circuit Court, claiming he suffered serious injuries when struck…

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