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Indiana's workers' compensation board has released new application forms and guidelines for self-insurers, and the agency is urging employers to make sure they complete the form in full. "All of the attachments and additional information requested in item 7 must be provided," the board said in a bulletin. "Incomplete applications cannot be processed and will not be approved." Item 7…

Workers’ compensation rates are falling across the US, a long-running trend that has finally caught up with California, the nation’s largest market, while deepening in others, such as New York. In California, where carriers set their own rates, State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has called for a rate rollback based on a cost benchmark of $1.74 per $100 of payroll…

A chiropractor is suing Universal Health Institute Ltd., a former employer, citing alleged breach of contract, violation of workers compensation acts, unpaid wages and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act. Raymond S. Manasia filed a complaint May 30 in Cook County Circuit Court accusing the defendant of underpaying his salary and failing to pay agreed bonuses. The…

The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill that requires the pre-approval of workers’ compensation insurance rates by the Illinois Department of Insurance. The legislation also “permits sensible corporate restructuring for insurers and reinsurers,” according to the American Insurance Association. But, according to AIA’s Steve Schneider, vice president for state affairs, Midwest region, the group is “disappointed that policymakers have…

Workers' compensation costs in Illinois have grown every year since reforms efforts in 2011. A study of workers' compensation claims through March 2017 by the nonprofit Workers Compensation Research Institute found the state’s average cost to businesses rose by 1 to 3 percent annually since 2011. The study found medical payments, protections against loss (called indemnity), and administrative costs have…

Beginning July 2, all parties in workers' compensation claims cases will receive notice through electronic means, so the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission needs updated email addresses, the commission announced this week. The commission will no longer send notices via mail after July 2. It's part of a modernization effort by the commission to streamline operations and close down massive warehouses that…

The average total cost per workers’ compensation claim in Indiana was stable in the years since the state enacted workers’ compensation system reforms, according to a recent Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) study. The study, CompScope Benchmarks for Indiana, 18th Edition, provides a look at changes in the Indiana workers’ compensation system following the enactment in 2013 of House Enrolled…

There's a crisis looming in our state's workers' compensation system. If allowed to fester, it will keep workers from receiving timely medical treatment for workplace injuries. It will delay workers' recoveries and their return to their jobs. And it will end up costing more for the very businesses and insurers seeking efficiencies in the system. This crisis is not one…