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The workers compensation system could see a 20% decrease in new injury claims this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey released Monday by Skaneateles, New York-based Health Strategy Associates LLC. In late May, the consultancy asked 35 workers compensation professionals representing large state funds and insurers, third-party administrators, and large self-insured and self-administered employers about their…

In a ruling that follows more than 10 years of litigation between a wood recycling plant and its neighbors, a federal appeals court affirmed a lower court and held an insurer is not obligated to provide coverage to the plant’s owner because of policy exclusions. Neighbors in Elkhart, Indiana, had charged that VIM Recycling Inc.’s waste disposal practices exposed them…

Workers compensation insurance premiums could drop by nearly 20% in the second quarter of 2020 and are unlikely to recover before 2023, according to a report released Thursday by the Deloitte Center for Financial Services. With the number of workers laid off or furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, workers comp premiums — which are driven by payroll — will…

Overexertion, falls and struck-by hazards are among the costliest workplace injuries, according to Liberty Mutual Holding Co. Inc.’s 2020 workplace safety index released Tuesday. Overexertion and falls from the same level have consistently been the top two causes of injuries, said the Boston-based insurer. And while the overall number of serious workplace injuries has decreased over the past 20 years,…

Legislative changes allowing workers compensation coverage due to COVID-19 will result in an increase in loss estimates and a potential earnings hit for the insurance companies, according an analysis released Thursday by A.M. Best. A number of U.S. states have begun the process of enacting legislation or have issued executive orders on workers compensation coverage for essential employees, an expansion…