New Mexico WCA to resume in-person proceedings
The New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration will resume holding in-person trials and enforcement hearings June 6, in Albuquerque and all six field offices. The WCA returned most agency staff to its offices July 12, 2021 but continued holding adjudication services remotely to continue to adhere to COVID-safe practices, while transitioning staff to in-office routines. Mediations will continue to be held virtually for the foreseeable future. Los Alamos Daily Post
Cable installer owes $341k for misclassifying employees
An underground cable installation company owes about $341,000 in workers compensation premiums because it improperly classified its employees as independent contractors, the Supreme Court of Ohio has ruled in a 5-2 decision. Court News Ohio
Was cancer diagnosis automatic ticket to workers’ comp?
An Idaho law that creates a presumption that certain cancers were caused by fire service employment and thus trigger entitlement to workers’ comp benefits recently was tested in a lawsuit. The statute’s presumption applies as long as the cancer did not precede employment. One claimant who met all elements needed to satisfy the presumption encountered resistance when the city disputed his cancer was caused by his employment. HR Morning
Benzene exposure and the increased risk of leukemia
People experience exposure to benzene when they breathe it in, absorb it through the skin, or swallow it. The main source of benzene is industrial processes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that a person’s risk of leukemia increases as a result of long-term exposure to high levels of benzene. Medical News Today