A second court has ruled that an insurer does not have to pay business interruption claims by businesses that saw their revenues run dry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which will further make it difficult for businesses to successfully file such claims. In the most recent case, a Superior Court judge in the District of…
The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have reversed years of falling workers’ compensation rates in California, as the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has recommended that average benchmark rates be increased by 2.6% for 2021. The recommendation was forwarded to the California Department of Insurance, which will schedule a hearing on the recommendation in the fall.…
As lawsuits against employers continue rising amid the coronavirus pandemic, some businesses are requiring workers to sign waivers absolving them of liability and responsibility should they contract the virus. Eight percent of executives surveyed by law firm Blank Rome said they would require that their workers sign waivers of liability before returning to the workplace.…
While the pandemic rages on, the number of workers in the U.S. who are filing COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims is increasing and are accounting for a growing portion of overall claims. While there is only data currently available from two states — California and Florida — the numbers coming out of the two states show…
The state Department of Public Health has issued the “COVID-19 Employer Playbook,” which is designed to provide in-depth guidance for reopening business operations and on how to respond to outbreaks in the workplace. Among the topics covered in the guide are support for employers on: Returning to work, Outbreak identification preparedness, Communication of identified COVID-19…
The California Legislature is working on a number of new measures to protect workers in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures take aim at “holes” in the system that may leave employees who contract the coronavirus on the job without workers’ compensation benefits, footing higher utility bills because of working at home and…
New guidance from the Trump administration absolves insurers of the responsibility of paying for COVID-19 tests that are required for workers who are returning to the job. The guidance, released by the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury, means that employers will likely either have to foot the bill themselves as they…
While Fed-OSHA has not issued specific regulations regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) for COVID-19, employers are still required under existing rules to conduct hazard assessments to determine PPE requirements for their worksite. Before employers consider PPEs though, they should follow workplace safety best practices by following the hierarchy of safety controls: Engineering controls Administrative controls…
Commercial property insurance rates are on the rise across the country as insurers continue wrestling with the toll of increasing natural disasters, rising social unrest around the world (including the U.S.) and the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, insurance companies have become more stringent in their underwriting by restricting some coverages and excluding risks that may have…
The COVID-19 crisis has brought to the fore a cost-saving approach to medical care for injured workers being treated through the workers’ compensation system: telemedicine. Telemedicine has in recent years only slowly been taking hold in workers’ compensation, as doctors and injured workers both value that hands-on time they have when they meet. But often…