Louisiana workers’ compensation rates to fall by double digits in May
The Louisiana Department of Insurance has approved the annual loss cost filing of the National Council on Compensation Insurance for a 10.5 percent reduction in rates, effective May 1, 2022. The rates have fallen eight of the last nine years and 25 percent over the past five years, according to the agency. New Orleans CityBusiness
Lower workers’ comp rates to take effect in Florida
Following an an average 6.6 percent decrease that took effect in 2021, Florida employers will see an average 4.9 percent decrease in workers’ compensation insurance rates in 2022. News Service of Florida
Florida: Is 2022 the year for workers’ comp changes? Florida CFO’s office says yes
The Florida chief financial officer’s office says it intends to push for several changes to workers’ compensation during the 2022 legislative session. Appearing at the Florida Workers’ Compensation Institute annual meeting in Orlando prior to the new year, an executive outlined key components of the reforms his division will advocate, including eliminating the requirement the Florida legislature ratify maximum reimbursement allowances for healthcare providers treating injured employees. Florida Politics
Two decades after retirement, North Carolina says fireman died in line of duty
A North Carolina state commission has ruled a retired fireman’s cancer-related death in August as a line of duty death, marking a historic moment for the state’s firemen and making his surviving family members eligible for benefits. North Carolina’s recently signed state budget includes a provision that takes firemen from having the fewest to some of the strongest cancer protections in the country. KAKE
Audit finds Ohio workers’ comp contractors paid for hours they didn’t work
Two contractors at the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation were paid for nearly 250 hours they didn’t work, according to a state audit released prior to the new year. In May 2020, the Ohio Inspector General’s Office received an anonymous tip that the two were spotted away from the office during working hours, which led to a review of their timesheets, electronic keycard data, and video security footage at the building where they worked. The findings were forwarded to local prosecutors for further review. Dayton Daily News
Workers’ comp liability for COVID-19 vaccine side effects may be limited
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), common side effects that arise from COVID-19 vaccines are pain, redness or swelling at the injection site and tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever or nausea. Employers may be liable for workers’ compensation for employees who experience side effects from mandated COVID-19 vaccines, but that liability may be limited and shouldn’t impede company policies requiring vaccination, according to legal experts. SHRM