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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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Mar 1, 2019

Virginia Counselor’s Injuries While Attending Mandatory Off-Site Training Were Not Compensable

Appeals Court Says She Was Not Subject to Special Risk of Injury A Virginia appellate court reversed an award of workers’ compensation benefits to a licensed professional counselor who was...

Virginia Counselor’s Injuries While Attending Mandatory Off-Site Training Were Not Compensable Virginia Counselor’s Injuries While Attending Mandatory Off-Site Training Were Not Compensable
Mar 1, 2019

Claim Under Minnesota’s Human Rights Act Not Barred by Exclusive Remedy Rule

In a split decision, the Supreme Court of Minnesota held that an employee, who sustained a work-related injury and who was receiving workers’ compensation benefits, may proceed against his employer...

Claim Under Minnesota’s Human Rights Act Not Barred by Exclusive Remedy Rule Claim Under Minnesota’s Human Rights Act Not Barred by Exclusive Remedy Rule
Feb 26, 2019

NY Worker’s Estate Entitled Only to Portion of Posthumous Schedule Loss of Use Award

In New York, where an injured employee dies without leaving a surviving spouse, child under 18 years old or dependent, only that portion of the employee's schedule loss of use...

NY Worker’s Estate Entitled Only to Portion of Posthumous Schedule Loss of Use Award NY Worker’s Estate Entitled Only to Portion of Posthumous Schedule Loss of Use Award
Feb 25, 2019

“Regular” or “Recurrent” is Key to Statutory Employer Issue in Kentucky

Construing Kentucky’s “up-the-ladder” statutory employer framework, a state appellate court recently reiterated that workers' compensation immunity is extended to contractors—those who contract with another to have work performed of a...

“Regular” or “Recurrent” is Key to Statutory Employer Issue in Kentucky “Regular” or “Recurrent” is Key to Statutory Employer Issue in Kentucky
Feb 22, 2019

SC Court Affirms Finding That Maintenance Worker Was Not Statutory Employee of Manufacturer

$14 Million Verdict Stands, Worker’s Duties, Although “Essential,” Were Not Part of Defendant’s Business In a South Carolina wrongful death action, the state’s Court of Appeals recently affirmed a trial...

SC Court Affirms Finding That Maintenance Worker Was Not Statutory Employee of Manufacturer SC Court Affirms Finding That Maintenance Worker Was Not Statutory Employee of Manufacturer
Feb 19, 2019

NJ Supreme Court Says Unemployed Volunteer Firefighter Deserves Temporary Disability Benefits

Reverses Lower Court That Disallowed TD Benefits Since Firefighter Had No Lost Wages Earlier today, reversing a late 2017 decision of the state’s Appellate Division [see my earlier discussion of...

NJ Supreme Court Says Unemployed Volunteer Firefighter Deserves Temporary Disability Benefits NJ Supreme Court Says Unemployed Volunteer Firefighter Deserves Temporary Disability Benefits
Feb 19, 2019

Divided Kansas Court Says Lab Test Results Showing Marijuana Were Admissible

Rules of Evidence Do Not Strictly Apply to Comp Hearings Stressing that in workers’ compensation hearings, the Kansas Rules of Evidence do not apply and that even hearsay evidence may...

Divided Kansas Court Says Lab Test Results Showing Marijuana Were Admissible Divided Kansas Court Says Lab Test Results Showing Marijuana Were Admissible
Feb 18, 2019

Nurse Case Management Fees Not Part of Employer’s Subrogation Lien

Tennessee Employer Does Enjoy Lien for Disability Indemnity & Medical Expenses In a case of first impression, a Tennessee appellate court recently held that an employer does not enjoy a...

Nurse Case Management Fees Not Part of Employer’s Subrogation Lien Nurse Case Management Fees Not Part of Employer’s Subrogation Lien
Feb 18, 2019

Last Injurious Exposure: What Does “Impossible” Mean?

Oregon Court Says “Impossibility” May be Established by Medical “Probability” Oregon, like the majority of American jurisdictions, employs the “last injurious exposure” rule to assign liability among multiple employers in...

Last Injurious Exposure: What Does “Impossible” Mean? Last Injurious Exposure: What Does “Impossible” Mean?
Feb 14, 2019

Kansas Court of Appeals Jettisons 82-Year-Old Supreme Court Precedent

Employer’s Payment of Medical Charges Revives Expired Statute of Limitations Reversing the state’s Workers’ Compensation Board, which had relied upon what it thought was established precedent (i.e., a 1936 decision...

Kansas Court of Appeals Jettisons 82-Year-Old Supreme Court Precedent Kansas Court of Appeals Jettisons 82-Year-Old Supreme Court Precedent
Feb 14, 2019

Virginia Worker’s “Short-Cut” Results in Denial of Benefits

Violation of Known Safety Rule Prevents Recovery for Injuries A decision to enter a fenced area at the employer’s facility through an unapproved opening, instead of through the approved interlock...

Virginia Worker’s “Short-Cut” Results in Denial of Benefits Virginia Worker’s “Short-Cut” Results in Denial of Benefits
Feb 13, 2019

Virginia Court Affirms Professional Football Tryout’s AWW of $783.63

Potential $435K Annual Compensation Under Standard Contract Deemed Too Contingent The Court of Appeals of Virginia recently affirmed a determination by the state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission that fixed a professional...

Virginia Court Affirms Professional Football Tryout’s AWW of $783.63 Virginia Court Affirms Professional Football Tryout’s AWW of $783.63

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