Itasca, IL – The National Safety Council is hopeful in response to the Biden Administration’s six-pronged, comprehensive national strategy to combat the pandemic – specifically, the Council supports the plan’s approach to workplace vaccine requirements to increase uptake among the unvaccinated. NSC has advocated for the use of COVID-19 vaccines to ensure worker safety and… [Read more]
Legislative & Regulatory News
WA L&I Proposes 3.1% Increase in Workers’ Comp Rates for 2022
Tumwater, WA – The state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is proposing a small increase in the average price employers and workers pay for workers’ compensation insurance next year. If the proposal is adopted, it would be the first time in five years that workers’ compensation rates would go up, but on average, premiums… [Read more]
OK Insurance Commissioner Approves 2022 Workers’ Comp Loss-Cost Reduction
Oklahoma City, OK – Commissioner Glen Mulready recently announced that the Oklahoma Insurance Department had approved a 9.4 percent decrease in workers’ compensation insurance loss costs for 2022. This reduction will lead to lower premiums for many Oklahoma businesses. Loss costs are the average cost of lost wages and medical payments of workers injured per… [Read more]
NYS WCB Warns on Policy Regarding Payments by DME Suppliers to Health Care Providers
Albany, NY – New York State Workers’ Compensation Board Chair Clarissa M. Rodriguez recently issued a bulletin to Health Care Providers and Suppliers of Durable Medical Equipment noting the determination that the solicitation or receipt of payments from a third party for chiropractic or other health care treatment and services (including so-called “fitting fees” or… [Read more]
CA DWC Announces Temporary Total Disability Rates for 2022 Remain Unchanged
San Francisco, CA – The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) recently announced that the 2022 minimum and maximum temporary total disability (TTD) rates will not change. The minimum TTD will remain $203.44 and the maximum TTD rate will remain $1,356.31 per week. Labor Code Section 4453(a) (10) requires the maximum and minimum weekly earnings upon… [Read more]
CA DWC to Re-Adopt Emergency Regs for Med-Legal Evals and Reporting
San Francisco, CA – The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) issued its Notice of Emergency Regulation Re-Adoption of regulations sections 46.2 and 36.7 for medical-legal evaluations and reporting. The emergency regulations are set to expire on October 12, 2021, and re-adoption would extend the emergency regulations for an additional 90 days. This is DWC’s second… [Read more]
OR DCBS: Workers’Compensation Costs to Drop for Ninth-Straight Year
Salem, OR – The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) recently announced that in 2022, Oregon employers, on average, will pay less for workers’ compensation coverage. The decline in costs marks nine years of average decreases in the pure premium rate – the base rate insurers use to determine how much employers must… [Read more]
Ohio BWC’s Annual Memorial Service Honors Fallen Workers
Columbus, OH – The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) recently paid tribute to 114* Ohioans who died as a result of a workplace illness or accident. BWC Chief of Strategy John Logue who led the annual Fallen Workers Memorial said, “We stand here today to honor Ohioans who lost their lives in service to… [Read more]
CA WCIRB Examines Changes to the Multiple Enterprises Rule Effective September 1, 2021
Oakland CA – The California WCIRB recently released a look at changes to the Multiple Enterprises Rule, which became effective September 1, 2021. Most businesses in California are Single Enterprises, which means that all the normal and usual operations for the business are assigned to a single classification. However, some businesses have two or more… [Read more]
TX Governor Abbott Appoints Brown as Commissioner of Insurance
Austin, TX – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Cassie Brown as the Commissioner of Insurance for a term set to expire on February 1, 2023. Cassie Brown of Austin has served as the Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation since June 2018. Previously, she served as is deputy commissioner for Regulatory Policy at the Texas Department of… [Read more]