The Fifth District Appellate Court backed the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) in a Madison County workplace injury case, according to a May 4 ruling. James Burns appealed a Madison County circuit court ruling that backed the IWCC, which overturned an arbitrator’s judgement that rewarded Burns with benefits. The courts’ decision comes after Burns stated that he worked under harsh…
Provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act have resulted in proposals and approvals for midyear workers compensation rate reductions in five states, according to details behind several recent filings by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Rate reductions will go into effect June 1 for Idaho and Florida, per recent regulatory approval. Reductions have not been announced in other…
An Illinois appellate court has decided a health care provider is not entitled to recover interest from employers when they don’t pay worker compensation medical bills on time. Further, the court said such disputes actually may not belong in the courts, at all, but rather with the state’s Workers Compensation Commission. The April 26 decision on the appeal, which was…
For two years, Illinois State Trooper James Bradley worked the night shift, cruising highways around DuQuoin, searching for speeders and drunks while mentally impaired by post-traumatic stress disorder. Like all cops, he carried a gun on his hip and a pump shotgun in the trunk. But unlike most cops, Bradley says he has PTSD because his supervisor had it in…
Now that Illinois’ contentious primaries are over, state lawmakers have an opportunity to get back to business and tackle the litany of financial woes affecting the state. This year, Illinois ranked dead last on U.S. News & World Report’s list of the most fiscally stable states. Despite this ranking, some Illinois legislators continue to push bills that add undue stress…
A new trial date has been scheduled for the postal worker accused of racing motorcycles while receiving $94,000 in disability. Jerry French, 40, is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 27 in Dayton’s U.S. District Court on one count of false statements or fraud to obtain federal employees compensation. French was hired in 2004 as a letter carrier at the…
Steve Schneider, Midwest region vice president for the American Insurance Association (AIA), issued the following statement before testifying today before the Illinois Senate Executive Committee on SB 12, workers’ compensation reform legislation. Mr. Schneider will represent an industry group that includes: AIA, the Illinois Insurance Association (IIA), the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) and the Property and Casualty…
Illinois’ House of Representatives has passed a bill that would create a state-monitored insurance company with the intention of driving down workers’ compensation insurance costs in the state. The House voted 62-43 on a plan that would establish an independent underwriter with a $10 million state loan. It would act as an insurance company in the market and pay back…
Ohio in January became the 36th state to allow firefighters who are diagnosed with certain cancers to file for workers compensation, and so far two more states are seeing proposals for certain cancers suffered by firefighters to be compensable. With presumption laws in place, firefighters who suffer from certain cancers can claim workers comp if they meet certain requirements, which…
The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday it will decide whether employers can require workers to sign arbitration agreements that prevent them from pursuing group claims in court. The justices agreed to consider an issue affecting millions of workers who have signed forms waiving rights to bring class-action lawsuits over unpaid overtime, wage disputes and other workplace clashes. Businesses have increasingly…
