Concord, NH – John Elias recently began his five year term as Commissioner of the New Hampshire Insurance Department. He was nominated by Governor Chris T. Sununu and unanimously approved by the New Hampshire Executive Council in May. “I am honored to be trusted with this responsibility,” said Commissioner John Elias. “I am excited to get started working in this new role on behalf of New Hampshire.” Elias’s priorities as commissioner include regulatory modernization, operational efficiency…[Continue Reading]
Industry News
SUNZ Holdings Launches Expanded Subrogation Services
Bradenton, FL – SUNZ Holdings, LLC recently announced the formation of Avalon Subrogation Partners, LLC (“Avalon”), a subrogation company focused on recovering claim payments from parties who may have caused or contributed to the accident or insured the loss. Steven F. Herrig, Chief Executive Officer of SUNZ Holdings, said, “As a provider of large deductible workers’ compensation insurance solutions, our clients bear a substantial portion of workers’ compensation claims exposure…[Continue Reading]
MEMIC Honors Eight Employers for Outstanding Workplace Safety
Portland, ME – At its Annual Meeting of the Policyholders last week, workers’ compensation specialist The MEMIC Group presented awards for workplace safety to eight of its more than 21,000 policyholders. MEMIC Senior Vice President of Loss Control and Safety Services Karl Siegfried paid tribute to the following employers for their workplace safety efforts at the Portland Museum of Art. Buffalo Games, LLC is the premier manufacturing facility for jigsaw puzzles and party games in North America, selling more…[Continue Reading]
Ohio BWC Gets Eight Workers’ Comp Fraud Related Convictions in May
Columbus, OH – The eight Ohioans who pleaded guilty and no contest in May to fraud-related charges against the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) include a homicide suspect, a Cincinnati bus driver who collected disability benefits while working two other jobs, and a health care provider who billed BWC for work his company didn’t perform. “Our convictions in May illustrate a range of fraud types that we see at BWC, some more serious than others,” said Jim Wernecke, director…[Continue Reading]
CWCI: CA Workers’ Comp IMR Volume & Outcomes Held Steady In Q1 2018
Oakland, CA – Data on California workers’ compensation independent medical review (IMR) decisions issued in the first quarter of this year shows that the medical dispute resolution process established as part of the 2012 workers’ comp reforms continues to produce consistent outcomes, with little change in the number of IMR determination letters and decisions; the percentage of modified or denied treatment requests that are upheld; the types of treatment requests reviewed; and the small number of…[Continue Reading]
VT Attorney General Releases Marijuana Law Guidance For Employers
Montpelier, VT – Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan recently released guidance aimed at assisting employers in navigating Vermont’s new recreational marijuana law. The law goes into effect on July 1, 2018. The guidance, entitled Guide to Vermont’s Laws on Marijuana in the Workplace, provides employers with an overview of the changes to Vermont’s marijuana laws, and summarizes existing employment laws relating to drugs in the workplace. This employer guidance is part of the…[Continue Reading]
SFM Board Promotes Rogers, Aponte, and Anderson
Bloomington, MN – SFM’s Board of Directors approved the promotions of Jody Rogers to Senior Vice President, Human Resources; Amanda Aponte to Vice President, Chief Risk Officer; and Chris Anderson to Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, at its annual meeting earlier this week. Jody Rogers has been with SFM since 1991, and most recently held the title Vice President, Human Resources. She oversees both human resources and facilities management. Amanda Aponte has been SFM’s Director of…[Continue Reading]
NY Woman Pleads Guilty to Forging Dead Mothers’ Signature to Steal Workers’ Comp Benefits
Buffalo, NY – New York State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott recently announced the guilty plea of a City of Rochester woman who stole $2,400 in Workers’ Compensation benefits by forging her deceased mother’s signature on benefit checks and keeping the money for herself. Devon Lloyd-Fountain pleaded guilty in Rochester City Court to the charge of Petit Larceny with the expectation she will pay full restitution as ordered at her upcoming sentencing. An investigation by Inspector General Leahy Scott…[Continue Reading]
WCRI Releases 10th Edition of Free Medical Price Index for Workers’ Comp
Cambridge, MA – As policymakers and system stakeholders in many states debate rising medical costs, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) released a new study today that helps monitor changes in prices paid for medical professional services as well as the impact of fee schedule and network changes on price trends. The study, WCRI Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, 10th Edition (MPI-WC), compares medical prices paid in 35 states and tracks price changes in most states over…[Continue Reading]
CFO Jimmy Patronis Announces Additional Workers’ Comp Cost Reductions for FL Businesses
Tallahassee, FL – Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis recently announced additional workers’ compensation cost reductions that will save carriers an estimated nearly $20 million in 2019, allowing carriers to help further alleviate costs on Florida businesses. These reductions are a direct result of the sound financial management of the Workers’ Compensation Administration Trust Fund (WCATF) and the Special Disability Trust Fund (SDTF), two funds that workers’ compensation…[Continue Reading]