November 8, 2024 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com -– In a major win for labor rights, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office (LCO) secured $942,604 in settlements to pay back unpaid wages to 187 former employees of Baked in the Sun, a Vista-based bakery that abruptly closed, leaving workers unpaid. Each worker will now receive over […]
November 4, 2024 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — The Guardian Group, LLC, a Med-Legal Exam firm based in California, has embraced an innovative staffing model; it employs foreign-trained medical doctors in support roles. Although these roles are temporary, they offer international doctors a crucial stepping stone toward a career in US medicine. Consequently, this
Foreign MDs Find Path to US Residency Placement in Med-Legal Industry Read Post »
October 31, 2024 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com —To improve worker safety and bridge communication barriers, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has introduced an advanced translation app in a pilot program. Developed by TranslateLive, this tool enables Cal/OSHA personnel to communicate in over 200 languages and dialects, creating a safer and
October 25, 2024 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — Med-legal costs for evaluations and reports used to resolve medical disputes in California work injury claims have increased more than expected since a new Med-Legal Fee Schedule (MLFS) took effect in April 2021, according to a new CWCI study. The average payment for a comprehensive exam
California Workers’ Comp Med-Legal Costs Rise Read Post »
October 25, 2024 | Oakland, CA — MedLegalNews.com — Self-insured workers in California saw claim volume in the state’s workers’ compensation system fall 9.5% in 2023, producing the biggest year-to-year decline in private self-insured claim frequency in more than 15 years. But double-digit increases in the average amounts paid and incurred on these claims drove
Fewer Claims, Higher Losses for CA Workers’ Comp Self-Insureds Read Post »
October 25, 2024 | Oakland, CA — MedLegalNews.com — Migraine Drugs represented less than 1% of all prescriptions dispensed to California injured workers in 2023 but they consumed 4.7% of workers’ compensation drug payments, a nearly 8-fold increase since 2018, which a California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) study links to the emergence of several high-cost
Are Migraine Drugs Becoming a New WC Cost Driver? Read Post »
October 23, 2024 | Folsom, CA — MedLegalNews.com – A former California Highway Patrol (CHP) captain, Matthew Stover, has been arrested on charges of workers’ compensation fraud and perjury, authorities reported. This case is a notable example of comp fraud within public safety agencies. Stover, 51, a 22-year veteran of the CHP, was detained in
Former CHP Captain Arrested for Workers’ Comp Fraud & Perjury Read Post »
October 23, 2024 | Dixon, CA — MedLegalNews.com — Cal/OSHA has cited Ruiz Farm Labor in Dixon for failing to protect its employees from heat illness, imposing a penalty of $17,550 for three serious heat illness violations of California’s heat illness prevention standard. The investigation began in June after reports surfaced that the farm labor
Cal/OSHA Fines Ruiz Farm Labor for Heat Illness Violations Read Post »
California workers’ comp premium trends are the focus of a new Quarterly Experience Report released by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB). The report provides an update on the state’s insurer experience valued as of June 30, 2024. In addition to tracking premium levels, the WCIRB uses the report to highlight shifts
California Workers’ Comp Premium Trends and Insights Read Post »
Comp medical payments in California are drawing attention after a Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) study revealed that, as of March 2023, medical payments per workers’ compensation claim in the state were 10% below the median of a 17-state sample. Titled CompScope Medical Benchmarks for California, 25th Edition, the report assesses med payment, pricing, and
California Workers’ Comp Medical Payments 10% Below Median Read Post »
