California: Man accused of workers’ comp fraud arraigned in Riverside County
A 23-year-old San Jacinto man who allegedly faked an injury to collect tens of thousands of dollars in workers’ compensation pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony charges in Riverside County Superior Court. mynewsLA
West Virginia to get intermediate appellate court
The West Virginia Legislature, after years of trying, has finally passed a bill creating an intermediate court of appeals. This new appeals court will take over workers comp, family court and administrative appeals. The governor is expected to sign it into law. Metro News (Charleston, W.V.)
New Jersey sanitation employee charged in stash-house theft was out on workers’ comp
A 61-year-old veteran sanitation employee was out on workers’ compensation since June 2019 years with an apparent back injury while he allegedly stockpiled a cache of suspected stolen equipment. Police said they discovered 168 pieces of power tools and lawn equipment stashed at a giant abandoned warehouse. Trentonian
Arizona bills closing workers’ comp loopholes for firemen advance
Arizona firemen for several years have filled testimony rooms at the state capitol sharing their cancer battles and experiences of workers’ compensation denial, and now identical bills in the Arizona House and Senate could solve the problem. The idea of running two mirrored bills is to get the legislation to the governor’s desk as quickly as possible. KTAR (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Legal cannabis linked to rise in fatal car accidents
In a new study, Canadian researchers at McGill University have found legalizing cannabis leads to an increase in fatal auto accidents. Among cannabis users with a driver’s license, the study finds 13 percent admit driving within two hours of using marijuana. The total number of people admitting to getting on the road after recent cannabis use jumped from 573,000 to 622,000. StudyFinds