Sacramento, CA – Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently adopted and issued lower rates for workers’ compensation insurance as businesses continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and rehire workers — reducing the benchmark rate by $.05 to $1.41 per $100 of payroll for workers’ compensation insurance, effective September 1, 2021. Last year, Commissioner Lara resisted… [Read more]
Industry News
Ascellus Announces Appointment of Brett Cohen as Chief Operating Officer
St. Petersburg, FL – Ascellus (formerly IMCS Group), the leading behavioral health provider focused on the integrative approach to restoring physical and emotional function in workers’ compensation cases, has appointed Brett Cohen as Chief Operating Officer to provide crucial value-based clinical care modeling at the administrative operational levels. “The pandemic has further demonstrated the need… [Read more]
AM Best Revises Outlooks to Positive for Synergy Comp Insurance Company
Oldwick, NJ -(BusinessWire)- AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of Synergy Comp Insurance Company (Synergy Comp) (Sharon, PA). The Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Synergy Comp’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as… [Read more]
CWCI: CA Private Self-Insured Indemnity Claim Frequency, Paid & Incurred Losses Spiked in 2020
Oakland, CA – Despite the pandemic-driven recession, workers’ comp claim frequency among California’s private self-insured employers rose in 2020, fueled by a big increase in the incidence of indemnity claims which more than offset a decline in medical-only claim frequency according to a California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) analysis of the initial AY 2020 data… [Read more]
WA L&I: Contractor Data Incident May Have Exposed Info About Some Workers
Tumwater, WA – The Washington state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) recently announced it was notified that one of its contractors, Pacific Market Research (PMR), was the victim of a ransomware attack on its data systems. During that incident, data on some of PMR’s servers was encrypted by an unauthorized party. PMR’s system contained… [Read more]
Tom Warden Joins CLARA Analytics as Chief Insurance and Science Officer
Santa Clara, CA – CLARA Analytics recently announced that it has hired Tom Warden as Chief Insurance and Science Officer. An experienced leader in using data, analytics and AI to solve complex business problems, Warden will apply his skills to oversee CLARA’s scientific, technological and research operations; he will help ensure that CLARA continues to… [Read more]
Third Coast Underwriters Adds New Sr. Biz Dev Consultant to FL Team
Chicago, IL – Third Coast Underwriters (3CU), a member of AF Group, recently announced the hiring of Dennis Kline as Senior Business Development Consultant in Florida. “We are very pleased to welcome Dennis to our organization,” said Bill Simonson, regional director of business development for 3CU. “He brings impressive insurance industry expertise, a proven track… [Read more]
HHS Announces $103 Million to Strengthen Resiliency, Address Burnout in Health Workforce
Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), recently announced the availability of an estimated $103 million in American Rescue Plan funding over a three-year period to reduce burnout and promote mental health among the health workforce. These investments, which take into particular… [Read more]
ManageWare and Spear Technologies Announce Strategic Partnership
Mesa, AZ & Corte Madera, CA – ManageWare, LLC and Spear Technologies, Inc. recently announced a strategic relationship to develop real-time integration among the workers’ compensation claims and medical management processes. This type of connected process would significantly benefit workers’ comp claims organizations. “This integration is the solution claims organizations need to get to the… [Read more]
CA DWC Reopens Public Counters at District Offices
San Francisco, CA – The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has announced that as of July 26, 2021, the public counters at all district offices will open for in-person filing, questions, and assistance. The Return-to-Work Supplement kiosks will also reopen. Information and Assistance officers will be onsite in most offices to answer questions and provide… [Read more]