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Public Agencies See Uptick In Workers’ Comp Costs

How could the legal fight over Proposition 22 and independent contractors impact employers’ ability to protect the workers’ comp system? Columnist Mark Webb has some thought on the possible unintended consequences of the case. New data from the Office of Self-Insurance Plans shows that public self-insured agencies experienced a spike in workers’ comp claims in … Read More »

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California Among Most Expensive Workers’ Comp States

California slipped from fourth most expensive state to third most costly in the latest biennial report on workers’ comp costs by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services. The controversial report, which uses a weighted index based on the mix of business prevalent in Oregon and is a recruiting marketing tool, dubs New Jersey … Read More »

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Record High Workers’ Comp Assessments for 2023

The Department of Industrial Relations’ annual assessments on California employers is now over $1.5 billion – a $191 million or 13.9% increase from the assessments for 2022. The assessments, together, … Read More »

Pandemic Brings Down Workers’ Comp’s Cost and Benefit Ratios

Employers across the country saw an 8.5% reduction in the average cost of workers’ compensation during the Covid-19 pandemic. California employers saw a more significant cost decrease but still paid far more than employers in all but six other states. A new study by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) shows that the nationwide … Read More »

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Instacart Settlement Avoids Workers’ Comp

Instacart, the gig-economy grocery delivery service, is putting up $46.5 million to settle a worker misclassification lawsuit filed by the City of San Diego. It is not admitting to any wrongdoing. The San Diego City Attorney alleged in the 2019 lawsuit that the company violated California’s unfair competition statute by misclassifying over 300,000 workers as … Read More »

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Medical Costs Up, But Below Pre-Pandemic Level

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau reports that workers’ comp medical payments in 2021 jumped 5.5% from the prior year to $1.9 billion. Left unsaid was that the industry spent $2 billion on medical care in 2019 before the pandemic upended the California economy. Now it’s medical cost inflation that is taking its toll on … Read More »

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Employees’ Commutes Aren’t Covered Until They Are

The going and coming rule excludes accidents that occur during an employee’s normal commute. But defense attorneys say it is not always so clear cut. The rule applies until it doesn’t, and the employer’s actions – as well as the injured worker’s – are key in this determination. “So the general rule is that injuries … Read More »

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Employer Reclassification Appeal

A labor contracting agreement between a cleaning company and the operator of a timeshare resort that also rented rooms nightly like a hotel was key in deciding a workers’ comp classification dispute with the company’s workers’ comp carrier. Because the cleaning services were provided under contract, and not an employee leasing arrangement, a CDI administrative … Read More »

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