New report shows cost of workers’ compensation dropped during global economic crisis

In 2009, at the start of the global economic crisis, there was a decrease of 4.4 percent in the number of employees who had workers’ compensation coverage. According to a National Academy of Social Insurance report, this drop was the largest in twenty years. The result was that the cost to employers for providing the benefits decreased by 7.6 percent, reaching $73.9 billion that year; which is the most recent year with complete data. This drop closely mirrors the overall decline in employment in the country. According to the chair…

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Florida court rules that illegal immigrants are eligible for worker’s compensation benefits

The Florida First District Court of Appeals has released its ruling on the case of HDV Construction Systems v. Luis Aragon. The case stems from a worker’s compensation dispute levied against HDV construction by Luis Aragon. According to the suit, Aragon fell from a roof while working, suffering from serious injuries that prevented him from working during the extent of his recovery. Normally, such a dispute would have been settled without bringing the issue to court, but one issue makes this case court-worthy: Aragon is an undocumented immigrant. Aragon was…

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Workers’ compensation exposure on the rise with more mobile workers

A clear growth of workers’ compensation exposure is now causing alarm among employers and risk managers with the remarkable rise in the number of mobile workers. This was discussed in this year’s meeting of Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) held recently in Vancouver. In the said forum experts advised both employers and risk managers to formulate stable and concrete rules pertinent with workers’ use of any types of mobile devices at work. According to Maureen McCarthy, Liberty Mutual, manager of Workers’ Compensation and Managed Care it is a must…

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How will new health reform laws affect workers comp sector

Members of the Casualty Actuarial Society recently attended a conference concerning the effect the new health reform bill could have on the casualty and property industry.  Several concerns over possible effects on the worker compensation system were put to rest, and possible results on lowering medical malpractice suits were discussed. Because worker compensation medical claims are a part of the overall rise in healthcare, many have been concerned about possible changes under the new reform bill. After the statistics were broken down though, there didn’t seem to be much to…

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Questionable tow and glass claims run rampant

Questionable tow and glass claims run rampant

When you think of insurance fraud what may come to mind is running a car off a cliff or starting a fire to collect, but trends are showing thieves going for smaller pay outs. It’s no surprise, insurance fraud has been around since the first insurance policy, but many are getting creative with the wash, rinse and repeat formula in fertile areas that have no-fault insurance laws like Florida and New York. According to the latest National Insurance Crime Bureau report auto glass claims have risen 511% since 2008 and…

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