Section 5(a) of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act provides the damages an employer must pay for work-related injuries. It specifies a worker injured in the line of duty cannot sue her employer or its other employees. That prohibition is easy enough to apply where one employee is injured by the negligence of another, or of the employer, at the business…
In the first six months of 2018, opioid prescriptions to injured workers declined six percentage points, according to a report released Tuesday by Optum Inc.’s Workers’ Compensation and Auto No-Fault program. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, pharmacy benefits management’s recent report falls in line with similar figures in workers comp that show dips in opioids in the comp sector, showing that…
Workers’ compensation reform became an issue during an appearance by the Republican and Democratic candidates for Illinois attorney general during a forum in Normal on Wednesday, according to press reports. The Chicago Tribune reported that Republican candidate Erika Harold supports business-friendly reforms proposed by Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, who is running for re-election. That brought a rebuke by Democratic challenger…
Illinois’ efforts to become a more favorable captive domicile may have stalled, but they could resurface later this year when the legislature starts its next session, experts say. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner last week issued an amendatory veto of S.B. 1737 — legislation that would overhaul a number of provisions in the Illinois Insurance Code — because of concerns that…
Two years ago, James Klenk of Freehold, N.J. suffered a heat stroke and went into renal failure after several days sorting and unloading heavy boxes in the back of a UPS truck. He had been a driver for UPS for 14 years and almost died that day. Klenk is one of countless workers across the country enduring symptoms of heat…
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has vetoed, with recommended changes, a workers’ compensation measure that would have allowed for interest to be paid on delayed payment in disputes between insurers and medical service providers. In his letter explaining his veto action, Rauner stated: “SB 904, as approved by the General Assembly, proposes changes to the Workers’ Compensation Act to: 1) provide…
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…
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…
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…
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…
