The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has proposed an average 13.4% rate reduction in workers’ compensation insurance in Florida for 2019. The rates await approval by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation; if given the green light, the reduction would follow a 9.5% decrease that took effect this year. “Consistent improvement in loss experience is the primary driver underlying the filing,” the NCCI said. Click to read more:

Standing desks have become trendy in the workplace, but studies have cast doubt on their benefits to employee health and safety. Most employers are not properly incorporating standing desks into the workspace, meaning these newer tools are not as effective in reducing workers comp claims as some may think, according to experts in the field of ergonomics. When asked about standing desks — or the sit-stand workstations that permit a worker to alternate between the two positions — ergonomist Scott Smith tells the story of a towering former college football player-turned-lawyer who was using one in his office, a workplace Mr. Smith had been called to inspect in his work as director of ergonomics with Aon Risk Consulting. Click to read more:

A Hernando County man is suing a Clearwater business, alleging violation of the Workers' Compensation Retaliation Statute. Adam Justine Hyde filed a complaint June 4 in Pinellas County Circuit Court against Lightning Master Corporation, alleging wrongful termination. According to the complaint, between Sept. 11-Oct. 16, 2015, Hyde was injured on the job while being employed by Lightning Master. The suit says Hyde thereafter sought workers' compensation benefits. However, Hyde said, he was terminated from his employment, shortly after his valid claim or attempt to to claim workers' compensation benefits. As a result, Hyde says, he has suffered damages, lost wages, emotional and mental anguish, inconvenience and humiliation. Click to read more:

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Desouza Framing Inc. for exposing employees to dangerous falls at two northwest Florida worksites. The Jacksonville-based residential framing contractor faces proposed penalties of $199,178. OSHA inspected a worksite in Jacksonville in October 2017 after observing the company’s employees performing roofing activities at heights up to 11 feet without fall protection. The Agency conducted a second inspection two months later at a jobsite in St. Johns where inspectors saw employees working at heights of up to 22 feet without fall protection. OSHA cited the employer for two willful citations for failing to ensure the use of fall protection. The inspections were part of the Agency’s Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction. Click here to read more:

The average cost of workers’ compensation claims in Florida grew between 2011 and 2016, according to a new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). All of the key components of total costs per claim experienced moderate increases during the five-year period, a WCRI news release said. “Medical payments per claim, indemnity benefits per claim, and benefit delivery expenses per claim in Florida all grew moderately at 3 to 5 percent per year during this period,” Ramona Tanabe, WCRI’s executive vice president and counsel, said in a statement. Click to read more:

Provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act have resulted in proposals and approvals for midyear workers compensation rate reductions in five states, according to details behind several recent filings by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Rate reductions will go into effect June 1 for Idaho and Florida, per recent regulatory approval. Reductions have not been announced in other states. Yet insurance market analysts say the reductions — between 1.8% and 4.7%, as filed by Boca Raton, Florida-based NCCI — can also be attributed to the competitive marketplace for comp coverage. Click to read more:

The bankruptcy and reorganization plan filed by insurance technology and outsourcing firm Patriot National has been approved and the transition of ownership of the Florida-based company can now move forward. According to a statement from Patriot National, the bankruptcy court on May 4 approved the company’s plan of reorganization, which will result in the transition of ownership from its public shareholders to Cerberus Business Finance, LLC and its affiliates and TCW Asset Management Company LLC. Click to read more:

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has approved a 1.8 percent rate decrease for workers’ compensation insurance in Florida. The decrease was filed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) in a law-only filing resulting from the effects of the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, according to a statement from OIR. OIR said the overall rate level change is a 1.8 percent decrease due to a change in the profit and contingency (P&C) factor to 0.5 percent from 1.85 percent. NCCI’s analysis to determine the revised P&C reflects provisions from the recently-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including top corporate tax rate decreases, changes to reserve discount factors, and other factors. This applies to both new and renewal workers’ compensation insurance policies effective in Florida as of June 1, 2018. Click to read more:

On Wednesday, a state appellate court overruled a workers’ compensation judge who denied death and funeral benefits for an employee’s widow on the ground that he was intoxicated when he stepped into the path of a truck on U.S. 1. State law allows denial of benefits when a workplace death or injury is attributable to intoxication, the 1st District Court of Appeal said. Click to read more:

Yes, some injured employees hire an attorney to just try to make money off their injury. But, that is not the reason for most employees who hire an attorney. After an employee is injured, they don’t know what to expect. They are worried. Questions constantly run through their head. Who will pay my bills? How will I get better quickly? When will I be better? Will I lose my job? The actions you take can answer these questions right up front and prevent the anxiety. When your employee is injured, take them for medical treatment. Show you care. While you wait, talk to them about what to expect. Tell them that all the medical bills and prescriptions will be paid by the insurance company. An adjuster will contact them to see how their initial treatment went and set a follow-up appointment. Tell them you want them back to work as soon as the doctor says they are ready. The next day, call them to see how they are doing. Explain to them what to expect for lost wages. Explain to them if you will have light duty work available for them once they are released to return to work. Give them a short brochure to explain things in writing for them to refer back to: What to expect for the payment of their medical bills and prescriptions. Explain briefly how the workers’ compensation insurance system works and the penalties for fraud. Explain that you care about your employees, want to see them healed quickly and back to work as soon as possible. Discuss that you will not tolerate abuse of the system. Tell them that an adjuster will contact them to coordinate their care and give them information on: The insurance company The phone number The mailing address Their claim number Explain how and when they will receive wage benefits. Give the employee peace of mind that their job is safe. You want them to return to work as quickly as you can and will help in any way possible. Explain how you will assist them in returning to work by describing your light duty work program. Stay in contact with the employee on a regular basis. Create a feeling of trust and compassion. Let them know they can come to you: 1. If they seek workplace hazards 2. When they are injured 3. If they have a concern about their treatment 4. If they receive medical bills 5. When they are ready to return to work 6. After they return to work. 7. Any time they need assistance. Talk about the workers’ compensation system on a regular basis with your employees. Take the mystery out of the process. Treat your employees as you would a member of your family. You will all benefit. WCA is here to help you design an effective program. Don’t hesitate to ask for our help. If you have questions, please call us at (561) 500-FLWC (3592). This is one of the extra services provided by Work Comp Associates, Inc.

A bill intended to stop companies from dodging worker’s compensation benefit payouts to undocumented workers who are injured on the job is likely dead, state Sen. Gary Farmer, the bill sponsor, said Tuesday. “I hate to wave the white flag, but it looks like I will,” the Fort Lauderdale Democrat said. Click to read more:

A Senate committee Tuesday narrowly approved a bill that would eliminate part of Florida law that allows employers to deny benefits to injured workers who use other people’s Social Security numbers or identification to obtain jobs. Approved in a 6-4 vote by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, the bill (SB 1568) would eliminate a provision put into law in 2003 that made it felony insurance fraud for people to knowingly present false or misleading information about their identities for obtaining employment. Click to read more: