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Mar 10, 2026

Second Circuit Bars Medical Marijuana Reimbursement Under the Longshore Act

In Garcia v. Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, 2026 U.S. App. LEXIS 6549 (2d Cir. Mar. 5, 2026), the Second Circuit denied a petition for review filed by a...

Second Circuit Bars Medical Marijuana Reimbursement Under the Longshore Act Second Circuit Bars Medical Marijuana Reimbursement Under the Longshore Act
Mar 6, 2026

New York’s Hidden Cost Problem: WCRI Examines the Price of Delivering Benefits

Every dollar spent on workers’ compensation falls into one of two broad categories: benefits paid to injured workers—medical care and wage replacement—and the costs of delivering those benefits. The second...

New York’s Hidden Cost Problem: WCRI Examines the Price of Delivering Benefits New York’s Hidden Cost Problem: WCRI Examines the Price of Delivering Benefits
Mar 5, 2026

Delaware Supreme Court Reinstates IAB’s Denial of Sole Proprietor Coverage

In Motors v. Bayly (Red House Motors d/b/a Bayly’s Garage), 2026 Del. LEXIS 92 (Mar. 2, 2026), the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a Superior Court decision that the high court...

Delaware Supreme Court Reinstates IAB’s Denial of Sole Proprietor Coverage Delaware Supreme Court Reinstates IAB’s Denial of Sole Proprietor Coverage
Mar 3, 2026

Florida Court Invalidates Rules Expanding “Absolute Choice” Pharmacy Provision

In Publix Super Markets, Inc. v. Department of Financial Services, 2026 Fla. App. LEXIS 1469 (Fla. 1st DCA Feb. 25, 2026), the First District Court of Appeal recently held that...

Florida Court Invalidates Rules Expanding “Absolute Choice” Pharmacy Provision Florida Court Invalidates Rules Expanding “Absolute Choice” Pharmacy Provision

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Aug 15, 2019

SC’s Auto Insurance Carriers May Not Offset PIP Benefits by Amounts Insured Receives for Workers’ Comp Benefits

In a tale of the “dueling statutes,” the Supreme Court of South Carolina recently held that insurers providing automobile insurance may not reduce their obligations to provide no-fault personal injury...

SC’s Auto Insurance Carriers May Not Offset PIP Benefits by Amounts Insured Receives for Workers’ Comp Benefits SC’s Auto Insurance Carriers May Not Offset PIP Benefits by Amounts Insured Receives for Workers’ Comp Benefits
Aug 14, 2019

Massachusetts Business Owner’s Death in Auto Accident While Attending to Side Business is Not Compensable

In a case that illustrates the difficulties that can arise from intertwined small businesses, a Massachusetts appellate court affirmed a decision of the state’s Industrial Accident Reviewing Board that denied...

Massachusetts Business Owner’s Death in Auto Accident While Attending to Side Business is Not Compensable Massachusetts Business Owner’s Death in Auto Accident While Attending to Side Business is Not Compensable
Aug 13, 2019

Federal Court Says Oklahoma’s Subrogation Statute is Constitutional

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma recently held that Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation subrogation statute, 85A Okla. Stat. § 43 does not violate Article 23, Section 7...

Federal Court Says Oklahoma’s Subrogation Statute is Constitutional Federal Court Says Oklahoma’s Subrogation Statute is Constitutional
Aug 8, 2019

Tennessee Healthcare Worker’s “Scuffle” With Patient Was Not Willful Misconduct

In an unpublished opinion, the Special Workers’ Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court of Tennessee affirmed a trial court’s finding that an employer failed to meet its burden of...

Tennessee Healthcare Worker’s “Scuffle” With Patient Was Not Willful Misconduct Tennessee Healthcare Worker’s “Scuffle” With Patient Was Not Willful Misconduct
Aug 7, 2019

NY Claimant Fails to Show Reduced Earnings Were Caused by Established Back Injury

A New York appellate court affirmed a split decision of the state’s Workers’ Compensation Board that earlier found a claimant’s reduced earnings were the result of economic conditions, rather than...

NY Claimant Fails to Show Reduced Earnings Were Caused by Established Back Injury NY Claimant Fails to Show Reduced Earnings Were Caused by Established Back Injury
Aug 6, 2019

Virginia Supreme Court Construes “Two-Cause” Rule for Total Disability Cases

Maneuvering the difficult space within which a worker’s preexisting condition intersects his or her work-related injury, the Supreme Court of Virginia recently affirmed a decision by the state’s Court of...

Virginia Supreme Court Construes “Two-Cause” Rule for Total Disability Cases Virginia Supreme Court Construes “Two-Cause” Rule for Total Disability Cases
Aug 5, 2019

Maryland Widow’s Death Benefits Claim Not Barred by Husband’s Broad Release Before His Death

A worker’s claim for workers’ compensation benefits and a dependent’s claim for death benefits are separate and independent claims, such that the dependent’s claim is not derivate of the worker’s,...

Maryland Widow’s Death Benefits Claim Not Barred by Husband’s Broad Release Before His Death Maryland Widow’s Death Benefits Claim Not Barred by Husband’s Broad Release Before His Death
Aug 1, 2019

Federal District Court Rejects “Perception Theory” of Workers’ Compensation Retaliation

Fired Worker Must Either Have Filed a Claim or Communicated an Intent to Do So Construing Pennsylvania law, a U.S. District Court rejected the so-called “perception theory” of workers’ compensation...

Federal District Court Rejects “Perception Theory” of Workers’ Compensation Retaliation Federal District Court Rejects “Perception Theory” of Workers’ Compensation Retaliation
Jul 31, 2019

Vague, Nonspecific Statements About Knee Pain Did Not Constitute Required Notice to New York Employer

A New York appellate court affirmed a decision by the state’s Workers’ Compensation Board that found a claimant had failed to provide the required written notice of injury to his...

Vague, Nonspecific Statements About Knee Pain Did Not Constitute Required Notice to New York Employer Vague, Nonspecific Statements About Knee Pain Did Not Constitute Required Notice to New York Employer
Jul 30, 2019

NY Hair Salon Owner Fails to Show Causal Connection Between Rude Customers and Her Heart Attack

A New York appellate court, weighing conflicting medical evidence as to the causal connection, if any, between a business woman’s heart attack was causally connected to her employment, recently affirmed...

NY Hair Salon Owner Fails to Show Causal Connection Between Rude Customers and Her Heart Attack NY Hair Salon Owner Fails to Show Causal Connection Between Rude Customers and Her Heart Attack
Jul 29, 2019

Iowa Worker Fails to Tie Legionnaires’ Disease to Workplace

Where an Iowa claimant’s expert medical witnesses appeared to be unaware of the procedures followed by the employer to prevent contamination of its water supply, the commissioner could reasonably conclude...

Iowa Worker Fails to Tie Legionnaires’ Disease to Workplace Iowa Worker Fails to Tie Legionnaires’ Disease to Workplace
Jul 26, 2019

Iowa In-Home Nurse’s Injuries in Head-On Collision Compensable in Spite of Slight Deviation From Routine

Sufficient evidence existed in the record to support the commissioner’s (and the district court’s) determination that a nurse, who worked for the employer providing in-home nursing services to patients, sustained...

Iowa In-Home Nurse’s Injuries in Head-On Collision Compensable in Spite of Slight Deviation From Routine Iowa In-Home Nurse’s Injuries in Head-On Collision Compensable in Spite of Slight Deviation From Routine

New Comments

  • ramivou: They hid behind a flawed "reading" of this statute for a decade. I am glad the SC finally put an end to the misconception that it was a "first six months only" filing requirement, rather than an ongoing responsibility.
  • trob: Thanks for the query. New York's going and coming doctrine is similar to that in place in the majority of jurisdictions. That is to say that for employees with a fixed place of work and who are on a relatively consistent work schedule, the commute to and from the residence is outside the course and scope of the employment. Often overlooked is the fact that the employee must generally have a fixed ...
  • ramivou: Is coming and going covered in NY?
  • trob: Excellent question. My thought is that the employer was following what it assumed was the typical practice of seeking to protect its "subrogation" interest in state court; in virtually all jurisdictions, the state trial courts are where subrogation issues are litigated. What differed here, of course, was that it wasn't a standard subrogation case, i.e., the employee's work-related injury wasn't ca...
  • ramivou: Why didn't they file it with the state Commission instead?
  • Thomas A. Robinson: I suspect that ACME could seek contractual indemnity, as you note, either from the staffing agency or its carrier. The goal of the Board or agency generally is to see to the proper award of benefits for compensable injuries. Allowing the "aggrieved" parties to sort it out later is completely consistent with the overall theory of workers' compensation. Many thanks for the comment. Best wishes.
  • Barry Stinson: I wonder if Acme's insurer could seek contractural indemnity from Variety's insurer outside of the WC system.
  • Michael C. Duff: The conceptual distinction is between joint causation and presumptive single causation.
  • Thomas A. Robinson: Sorry, I don't/can't provide legal advice. Best wishes, however.
  • Ken Smith: What can I do when my attorney blows my case with an incomplete RB89