News

An appeals court dismissed a railroad conductor’s claims that he was fired for reporting a workplace injury. In Holloway v. Soo Line Railroad Co., d/b/a Canadian Pacific, a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on Wednesday unanimously affirmed a decision by the U.S. District Court in Chicago that a railroad company provided sufficient evidence…

An appellate court in Illinois on Monday denied additional workers compensation-related disability benefits to an injured beverage distributor whom it claims did not seek job rehabilitation services in light of his diminished abilities stemming from a back injury that aggravated a degenerative condition. John Bohentin had been working in the beverage distribution business for over 30 years and for North…

Worker misclassification in the construction business, done to avoid workers' compensation and payroll taxes, is a growing problem nationwide, and Indiana is no exception, according to a local news report. Legitimate commercial contractors told an Indiana TV station this week that fraudulent misclassification appears to be spreading in the industry. Some contractors can shave 30% off their bids by classifying…

Are employees injured at work more likely to file under workers’ compensation instead of group health insurance when their group health plan has a higher deductible? The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found evidence they do in a new study it says has great relevance since the number of workers in health insurance plans with high deductibles is growing. “In…

Injured miners and construction workers are in the occupations most likely to receive an opioid prescription, the study shows. Injured workers living in “rural” or “very rural” areas were up to 25% more likely than urban injured workers to receive opioid painkillers. Injured workers in rural areas are more likely to receive prescriptions for opioids, a new study shows. The…