Public agencies, including cities, counties, and special districts across the state, reported a drop in workers’ comp claim frequency during the latest fiscal year while also experiencing a sharp increase in claim severity. Costs were up for both medical and indemnity benefits. Taxpayers’ overall liability for future claims costs is more than $10 billion. Some …
The Division of Workers’ Compensation’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee members coalesced around a recommendation concerning how the Division should deal with the emerging group of biosimilar drugs coming onto the market. Coverage for cannabis was also considered, but they decided to follow the federal government’s lead. Biologics are medications produced through biotechnology from ingredients derived …
Welcome to 2025 and Workers’ Comp Executive’s 35th year covering the California workers’ comp industry. Here is our annual review of the top workers’ comp stories that made headlines last …
The Contractors State Licensing Board’s board of directors approved seeking legislation to reestablish a limited exemption from the requirement to carry workers’ comp coverage for all licensees except those holding a C-39 Roofing classification. The proposed reintroduction of the exemption, which the board previously backed eliminating, will also be accompanied by new large penalties for …
Physician Kevin Tien Do appeared in federal court last week and pled guilty to a two-count federal indictment related to a scheme to defraud the state’s Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF) program. Still uncharged and unnamed in the case is an alleged co-conspirator, who published reports say is Orange County Superior Court Judge Israel …
The Department of Industrial Relations has released its assessments for 2025. The charges are added to employer’s workers’ comp policies, and self-insureds are assessed differently. DIR says the total cost …
Dear Editor: I have been an insurance broker for 27 years, during which time I have dealt with the problematic California business environment and insurance marketplace. Your publication gives me ideas about where industry segments are headed, indications of overall marketplace conditions, and, importantly, California’s legal environment. You recently published articles about …
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal says an injured longshoreman with hearing loss in one ear and bilateral tinnitus is only due benefits for the actual loss of hearing suffered on the job and cannot obtain a bilateral rating under the AMA Guides. However, the court left unanswered the question of whether the worker’s tinnitus …