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Florida’s workers’ compensation market remains competitive and well-capitalized, with loss ratios that are among the lowest among larger states, according to the latest report from the state’s insurance regulator. At the same time, the report warns that several court cases now pending and an erosion of costs savings from reforms enacted in 2003 that could throw a monkey wrench into the market’s otherwise stable operations. Click here to read more:

In an Order issued Wednesday, Nov. 5, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty notified the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) that its proposed 3.3 percent overall decrease in Florida workers' compensation rates has been disapproved. Substantiating the disapproval, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) contended that the NCCI's use of an increase in the profit and contingency factor from 2.5 percent to 4.5 percent was excessive and unjustified. Click here to read more:

Workers compensation claimants younger than 60 have higher medical claim costs for medical payments made 20 and 30 years after their initial injury compared with claimants who are age 60 or older, the National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. said Monday in a report. The average late-term medical cost for claimants born between 1951 and 1970 was $10,700, according to “The Impact of Claimant Age on Late-Term Medical Costs,” 64% higher than the average annual late-term medical cost of $6,500 for claimants born between 1920 and 1950. Click here to read more:

The family of a Florida construction worker who was killed by a 1-ton falling steel column cannot collect a $2.4 million judgment from his employer, a state appeals court ruled. Victor Lizarraga worked as a foreman for Metal Bilt, a subcontractor on a warehouse expansion project. His company worked on the 33-foot-tall steel columns that would support the building. The general contractor, R.L. Haines Construction, told the Metal Bilt employees to begin settling the steel columns after the epoxy had been drying for 44 hours, rather than the recommended 72 hours. Lizarraga was tightening a wire attached to one of the columns when the column fell on him and killed him. Link no longer available

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued afinal rule requiring employers to notify OSHA when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye. The rule, which also updates the list of employers partially exempt from OSHA record-keeping requirements, will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2015, for workplaces under federal OSHA jurisdiction. Original article no longer available

Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation announced it received the 2015 Florida workers’ compensation rate filing by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), which proposes a statewide average rate decrease of 2.5 percent — the first decrease in four years. NCCI said fewer claims and a lower amount of loss is responsible for the proposed rate decrease. Click here to read more:

In what could be a first-of-its-kind decision in Florida, an appeals court ruled Tuesday that a man suffering from head injuries was not entitled to treatment from a Spanish-speaking psychologist as part of a workers-compensation insurance claim. The issue stems from a 2012 accident in which roofing-company employee Jesus Trejo-Perez was seriously injured, including suffering head injuries, when he fell 30 to 40 feet while on a job in Hillsborough County, according to documents in the case. Click here to read more:

What’s the first thing to pop into your mind when thinking about Oklahoma? Is it the musical? Could it be that its pan shape? The one thing that probably did not immediately pop into your mind is the state’s aggressive approach to redefining the system delivery for injured workers. Click here to read more:

Teen Challenge of Florida Inc., an international rehabilitation program, has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration with 25 safety and health violations following an inspection of the company's facilities in Pensacola. OSHA initiated the July 2013 inspection after receiving a complaint alleging safety and health hazards. Proposed penalties total $228,600. Click here to read more:

Liberty Mutual Insurance said it has agreed to sell Summit Holdings Southeast Inc. and its related companies to American Financial Group (AFG) in an all-cash transaction valued at $250 million. Based in Lakeland, Florida, Summit sells workers’ compensation in the Southeast and has approximately $520 million of premium written. Click here to read more: