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Aug 20, 2026

Issue Commentary: Iowa Looks at Vaccine‑Injury Compensability—and Leaves the Real Question for Another Day

Driscoll Agrees with the Larson Standard, Then Affirms Without Needing It The Iowa Court of Appeals has affirmed the denial of workers’ compensation benefits to a city employee who developed...

Issue Commentary: Iowa Looks at Vaccine‑Injury Compensability—and Leaves the Real Question for Another Day Issue Commentary: Iowa Looks at Vaccine‑Injury Compensability—and Leaves the Real Question for Another Day
Aug 20, 2026

Issue Commentary: Iowa Looks at Vaccine‑Injury Compensability—and Leaves the Real Question for Another Day

Driscoll Agrees with the Larson Standard, Then Affirms Without Needing It The Iowa Court of Appeals has affirmed the denial of workers’ compensation benefits to a city employee who developed...

Issue Commentary: Iowa Looks at Vaccine‑Injury Compensability—and Leaves the Real Question for Another Day Issue Commentary: Iowa Looks at Vaccine‑Injury Compensability—and Leaves the Real Question for Another Day
Aug 19, 2026

VA: One Basket, Two Injuries—and Only One Compensable Accident

In *Sairafianpour v. Loudoun County Public Schools*, 2026 Va. App. LEXIS 430 (Aug. 11, 2026), the Court of Appeals of Virginia affirmed a Workers’ Compensation Commission decision awarding medical benefits...

VA: One Basket, Two Injuries—and Only One Compensable Accident VA: One Basket, Two Injuries—and Only One Compensable Accident
Aug 17, 2026

UT Supreme Court Affirms PTD Award—and Rejects Employer’s Claim to Employee’s Debt-Collection Settlement

In Granite School District v. Young, 2026 UT 29, 2026 Utah LEXIS 113 (Aug. 13, 2026), the Utah Supreme Court affirmed an award of permanent total disability benefits to a...

UT Supreme Court Affirms PTD Award—and Rejects Employer’s Claim to Employee’s Debt-Collection Settlement UT Supreme Court Affirms PTD Award—and Rejects Employer’s Claim to Employee’s Debt-Collection Settlement

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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
Jul 25, 2019

New Jersey Court Says Fifth “Larson” Factor (Residential Status) Not Sufficient to Establish Jurisdiction

Quoting and adopting the discussion found in Larson’s Workers’ Compensation Law, § 142.01, et seq., a New Jersey appellate court held that the fifth “Larson factor”—residency—is insufficient, in and of...

New Jersey Court Says Fifth “Larson” Factor (Residential Status) Not Sufficient to Establish Jurisdiction New Jersey Court Says Fifth “Larson” Factor (Residential Status) Not Sufficient to Establish Jurisdiction
Jul 24, 2019

Notation in Montana Security Guard’s Daily Log Re: Altercation With Unruly Patient Was Insufficient to Constitute Notice of Claim

A notation in a Montana security guard’s daily log that he had been involved in an altercation with an unruly patient at the clinic to which he was assigned and...

Notation in Montana Security Guard’s Daily Log Re: Altercation With Unruly Patient Was Insufficient to Constitute Notice of Claim Notation in Montana Security Guard’s Daily Log Re: Altercation With Unruly Patient Was Insufficient to Constitute Notice of Claim
Jul 23, 2019

NY Makeup Artist Fails to Establish Bartonella bacteria Claim From Her Exposure to Rats

A New York appellate court affirmed a finding that claimant, a makeup artist, had failed to establish her claim related to an airborne illness (Bartonella bacteria) that she claimed she...

NY Makeup Artist Fails to Establish Bartonella bacteria Claim From Her Exposure to Rats NY Makeup Artist Fails to Establish Bartonella bacteria Claim From Her Exposure to Rats
Jul 19, 2019

Commentary: The Challenges in Dealing With Cautious Medical Testimony

Five Out of Seven Ohio Supreme Court Justices Say Medical Opinion Was Ambiguous In a 5-2 decision, the Supreme Court of Ohio affirmed a finding by the Tenth District Court...

Commentary: The Challenges in Dealing With Cautious Medical Testimony Commentary: The Challenges in Dealing With Cautious Medical Testimony
Jul 18, 2019

Minnesota High Court Explains PTSD Evidentiary Requirements

Minn. Stat. § 176.011, subd. 15(d) (2018), which requires the employee to prove that the employee has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist...

Minnesota High Court Explains PTSD Evidentiary Requirements Minnesota High Court Explains PTSD Evidentiary Requirements
Jul 17, 2019

Kansas Hospital Worker Recovers for Two Unexplained Falls

Guided by the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Kansas in Estate of Graber v. Dillon Cos., 2019 Kan. LEXIS 67 (Apr. 12, 2019)[extended discussion of Graber can be...

Kansas Hospital Worker Recovers for Two Unexplained Falls Kansas Hospital Worker Recovers for Two Unexplained Falls
Jul 16, 2019

Texas Employer Not Liable for Gross Negligence After Heat-Related Death

A Texas appellate court recently affirmed a trial court’s summary judgment in favor of an employer in a gross negligence action filed against it by the family of a worker...

Texas Employer Not Liable for Gross Negligence After Heat-Related Death Texas Employer Not Liable for Gross Negligence After Heat-Related Death
Jul 15, 2019

Former NJ Employee’s Tort Suit Alleging Pharma Employer Forced Him to Use Non-FDA Approved Nasal Spray is Barred by Exclusivity Rule

A former pharmaceutical employee, who contended his employer and its CEO forced him to use a proposed (and non-FDA approved) nasal spray medication that the employer was trying to develop...

Former NJ Employee’s Tort Suit Alleging Pharma Employer Forced Him to Use Non-FDA Approved Nasal Spray is Barred by Exclusivity Rule Former NJ Employee’s Tort Suit Alleging Pharma Employer Forced Him to Use Non-FDA Approved Nasal Spray is Barred by Exclusivity Rule

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