New York, NY – FAIR Health recently announced that its support for state workers’ compensation programs has earned praise from officials in Oklahoma and South Carolina for assisting their efforts to update their workers’ compensation fee schedules. In addition to updates for Oklahoma and South Carolina, FAIR Health also recently completed work on the Commonwealth… [Read more]
Legislative & Regulatory News
CA Insurance Commissioner Lara Appoints New Members to Curriculum Board & CIGA
Sacramento, CA – Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently announced the newest members of the California Department of Insurance’s Curriculum Board and the California Insurance Guarantee Association’s (CIGA) Board of Governors. “I am very pleased to announce my appointments of the newest members of the Curriculum Board and the CIGA Board of Governors,” said Commissioner Lara.… [Read more]
CA Commissioner Order Mandates WC Insurers Recompute Premiums for Reclassification of Employees
Los Angeles, CA – Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently issued an Order (PDF) adopting emergency workers’ compensation regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These new regulations will mandate insurance companies to recompute premium charges for policyholders to reflect reduced risk of loss consistent with Commissioner Lara’s April 13 (PDF) and May 15 (PDF), 2020… [Read more]
MI Governor Whitmer Signs Exec Order on Additional COVID-19 WC Presumptions
Lansing, MI – Governor Whitmer recently signed Executive Order 2020-125, which clarifies Workers’ Disability Compensation Act (WDCA) eligibility during the COVID-19 emergency, replacing emergency rules issued by the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity in March 2020. Under this executive order, individuals who work within the secured borders of a penal institution, including correctional officers,… [Read more]
FL CFO Patronis Announces $27.6 Million in Workers’ Compensation Premium Refunds
Tallahassee, FL – Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis recently announced that $27.6 million in workforce premiums are being refunded over the next few months to nearly 13,000 policyholders of the Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (FWCJUA). The Florida Legislature created FWCJUA in 1993 as a self-funding plan to provide workers’ compensation and employer’s… [Read more]
AR Gov Hutchinson Issues Exec Orders on Workers’ Comp Coverage & Other Liability
Little Rock, AR – Governor Asa Hutchinson issued executive orders that clarify Workers Compensation Law during the public-health emergency, protect health care providers from liability, and exempt businesses from liability related to the spread of COVID-19. “I want to thank the General Assembly for its leadership in securing support for limited immunity legislation and for… [Read more]
WCRI Releases National Inventory of State Regulations Affecting Prescription Drugs
Cambridge, MA – The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently released a new report that gathers in one place the numerous state regulations affecting drugs prescribed to workers with injuries in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. “Across the country, states have implemented an array of different regulatory strategies, overseen by different agencies,… [Read more]
CA DWC Posts Draft Revisions to Pharma Fee Schedule, Invites Public Comments
San Francisco, CA – The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) recently posted draft revisions to the Official Medical Fee Schedule regulations that govern the maximum reasonable fee for pharmaceuticals dispensed to injured workers. Under the California Labor Code, the fee schedule for dispensed pharmaceuticals is based primarily upon the Medi-Cal pharmacy payment system. Medi-Cal has… [Read more]
MN DLI Seeking Medical Consultant Proposals through June 25
St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) is seeking requests for proposals for a medical consultant through June 25, 2020, at 2 p.m. The medical consultant must be an eligible physician who would be able to serve DLI, including consulting with the Workers’ Compensation Division, Research and Statistics unit, Special… [Read more]
FL DWC Releases COVID-19 Workers’ Comp Update Report
Tallahassee, FL – The Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) recently released a report on the effects of COVID-19 on Florida’s Workers’ Compensation System. Data in this report examines the areas of Claim Frequency, Claim Costs & Characteristics, Coverage Information, and Telemedicine. Claim Frequency and Claim Costs & Characteristics are workers’ compensation… [Read more]