Researchers from the Rand Corp. say that the workers’ comp presumptions California enacted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic likely targeted the occupations most at risk of contracting the virus but say it is unclear if they were beneficial overall. The report also casts doubt on the benefits of cutting employers time to investigate claims, …
The pandemic put a heavy strain on the healthcare system’s ability to deliver care amid surges in cases and high infection rates among healthcare workers. But new research indicates that the workers’ comp system continued delivering timely care to injured workers throughout the pandemic. Alex Swedlow (see photo) with the California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) …
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau says that roughly one out of every ten workers’ comp claims involving mild infections for Covid-19 were still requiring medical treatment four months later. In severe and critical cases, the prevalence of so called “long Covid” was much higher at 36% and 40%, respectively, according to a new report. …
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s governing committee approved making a regulatory filing to create a new companion class for two classifications in the Electronics Industry Group. The filing will also bring changes to the experience rating plan that would allow Covid-19 claims to factor into an employer’s X-Mod. The Bureau is a private organization …
A California employer has filed with the California Supreme Court asking it to apply the Workers’ Compensation Act’s exclusivity provision to a third-party liability claim alleging a take-home case of Covid-19. The petition alleges a decision by the Second District Court of Appeal effectively created a “virus” exception to the long-standing derivative injury rule that …
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s actuaries have updated the class analysis for the state’s 500+ workers’ comp classifications, and the results show larger swings for more classes. Driving much of the volatility this year was an update to the loss development groups (LDG) that each classification is assigned to for loss development purposes. The …
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published its emergency temporary standard. It mandates employers with at least 100 employees to “develop, implement and enforce” a COVID-19 vaccine policy. …