NATL. - WCRI: Fee Schedule Adjustments Drove Costs in Florida
05/29/2026 | 0
Average medical prices in Florida moved toward the middle of interstate rankings following fee schedule changes approved in 2024, according to a study that the Workers Compensation Research Institute released Thursday.
Florida’s experience also underscored one of the report’s broader conclusions: Fee schedules play a central role in determining both the level and growth of workers’ compensation medical prices.
After Florida lawmakers sharply increased reimbursement caps tied to Medicare in 2024, the state moved from having the lowest professional medical prices in the study
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The Oregon Court of Appeals overturned a decision by the Workers’ Compensation Board that eliminated a worker’s impairment award.
Case: Dean v. Multnomah County, No. 333, 04/29/2026, published.
Facts: Isa Dean underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan in 2006 that showed degenerative changes in her lumbar spine.
In 2009, Dean began working for Multnomah County. After a few years, she sought chiropractic treatment for low-back pain, which her providers associated with ergonomic conditions at her workstation.
In 2017, Dean began a different role at work that required her t
West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s claim for a back injury because her earlier complaints from preexisting conditions were “virtually the same” as her symptoms following the alleged injury.
Case: Lee v. Little General Stores Inc., No. 25-ICA-309, 05/01/2026, published.
Facts: Freda Lee worked for Little General Stores Inc. She filed a workers’ compensation claim, asserting that she had injured her back while lifting beverages at work in May 2024.
Dr. Andrew D. Bryant signed the physician’s portion of the for
A New York appellate court reinstated parts of a worker’s Labor Law claim for his alleged injuries from a fall while hauling debris from a construction site.
Case: Chavez v. 127 Eckford Bay LLC, No. 2024-01156, 05/06/2026, published.
Facts: Jorge Parrales Chavez allegedly suffered injuries while working on a renovation project at a building owned by 127 Eckford Bay LLC. DPC New York Inc. was the general contractor.
Chavez was a demolition laborer for CPJR Improvement Corp. He claimed that he was assigned to cart demolition debris from the second floor to the first floor.
According to
The Law Offices of Bradford and Barthel has confirmed that the Employment Development Department’s Disability Insurance representatives will no longer have their own offices at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.
The change will take place at the end of June, meaning that as of July, you may not find EDD representatives in their usual spots at your local WCAB.
I decided to investigate after numerous judges and EDD representatives informally warned my colleagues and me about EDD’s impending departure. Rumors abounded that the change was prompted by EDD not want
A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was not entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law claim for his alleged injuries from a fall from a ladder.
Case: Zhivov v. Kings Bay Housing Co. Inc., No. 2024-03258, 05/06/2026, published.
Facts: Artur Zhivov allegedly suffered injuries while doing demolition work in an apartment in a building owned by Kings Bay Housing Co. Inc.
Kings Bay Section One Land LLC owns the property upon which the building sits and leases the land to KB Housing.
According to Zhivov, he fell from an unsecured A-frame ladder due to an uneven floor.
Procedu
Pinnacol Assurance, together with a handful of Colorado business and labor groups, on Thursday announced the framework for a modernization project that they plan to pursue through the Legislature rather than the ballot initiative process.
Pinnacol would remain a quasi-state agency, continue to serve as Colorado's insurer of last resort, and its staff would remain in the Public Employees' Retirement Association, under the terms of the agreement.
Pinnacol would also retain its member-owned structure.
However, the deal calls for the carrier to be given a modern structure along
The California Senate passed a bill that would require staffing companies to provide proof of workers' compensation coverage as part of a new, mandatory registration process.
The Senate voted 29-9 to pass SB 1032, by Sen. Eloise Reyes, D-San Bernardino, which would require staffing firms to register with the labor commissioner before conducting business in California, and annually thereafter.
Companies would have to disclose business affiliations, their financial status and all open litigation, liens, fines or unpaid taxes, as well as any current or past Labor Code violations as part of
The International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions announced the recipients of its NextGen Award, which recognizes people under 40 who are having a substantial and positive impact on their organizations and leading the workers' compensation industry into the future.
The seven recipients of the 2026 IAIABC NextGen Award are:
Caitlin Breitbach, small business ombudsman for workers' compensation, Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services.
Ashley Butcher, team business leader, SFM Mutual Insurance Co.
Cole Garrett, deputy general counsel, Illino
State officials confirmed Wednesday that California’s Employment Development Department is pulling its physical offices out of workers’ compensation courthouses next month, a major operational shift that attorneys warn will stall case settlements.
The transition, first reported by workers' compensation defense firm Bradford & Barthel, will see the agency let its physical leases expire at Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board locations by the end of June in favor of virtual operations.
In a statement to WorkCompCentral, EDD Public Affairs Chief Greg Lawson said state d
The Oregon Court of Appeals upheld an employer’s denial of a worker’s previously accepted combined condition claim.
Case: Mooney v. Legacy Health, No. 335, 04/29/2026, published.
Facts: Mark Mooney worked for Legacy Health as a nurse. He suffered injuries while moving a patient.
Legacy accepted liability for a diagnosis of disabling C7 radiculopathy.
Mooney had a history of neck issues, having undergone a cervical fusion from a childhood injury and having developed Brown-Sequard syndrome.
After his work injury, medical evidence indicated that Mooney’s injury had combined
A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was entitled to partial summary judgment on his Labor Law claims and that a defendant was entitled to partial summary dismissal.
Case: Rosenblum v. City of New York, No. 20717/19, 05/05/2026, published.
Facts: The City of New York hired Oliveira Contracting Inc. for a sidewalk improvement project.
Andrew Rosenblum delivered concrete to the jobsite, and he was allegedly injured when a platform collapsed underneath him. He fell about 3 feet into an excavated area the width of a bus lane.
Procedural history: Rosenblum filed suit against the
West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the authorization of treatment for a worker’s compensable shoulder injury even though he had already reached maximum medical improvement.
Case: Quad Graphics Inc. v. Hottle, No. 25-ICA-356, 05/01/2026, published.
Facts: Rodney Hottle worked for Quad Graphics Inc. He filed a workers’ compensation claim in January 2019, asserting that he had injured his arm at work.
Dr. Nandita Subedi signed the claim form, indicating that Hottle had suffered an occupational injury to his left arm.
A claims administrator for Qua
A New York appellate court upheld a grant of summary judgment to a worker on his Labor Law claim for his injuries from falling into an unguarded trench.
Case: Rijo v. YYY 62nd Street LLC, No. 27539/18, 04/30/2026, published.
Facts: Daulin Gabriel Rijo allegedly suffered injuries while working on a construction site. According to Rijo, he was walking to his work area when he slipped on gravel and fell into a trench that was approximately 4 feet wide and up to 12 feet deep.
The trench, which had a makeshift staircase or pathway for workers to enter the space, was dug along the facade of the b
The California Assembly passed a bill proposing numerous changes to the processes and requirements relating to the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund.
The Assembly on Tuesday voted 48-19 to send AB 1576 to the Senate. The bill represents the latest effort by Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, to reform the fund that provides additional benefits when a new injury combined with a preexisting condition creates a total disability of at least 70%.
AB 1576 would require substantial evidence that the preexisting condition predated the subsequent injury and caused an actual loss of earni
Expert medical testimony that a worker may have lived longer if treatment for an industrial injury had not delayed treatment for metastatic cancer was too speculative to support an award of benefits, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled.
The high court said it did not need to consider the validity of Kristine Hastreiter's novel theory that she was eligible for workers' compensation death benefits because her husband's compensable hip injury prevented treatment for a nonoccupational cancer that could have prolonged his life. Rather, the medical expert testimony was not decisive enough
