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It is a time like no other for insurance renewals. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic fallout have upended the decades-long certainty within the workers’ compensation market that let employers reap the benefits of a soft market. Steep declines in premiums as a result of historic unemployment and falling payrolls suppressed investment returns from […]

Your Guide to… ControlIn LinkedIn Isn’t it time… in fact, isn’t now the perfect time… To Take Control of Your LinkedIn Prospecting? The ControlIn LinkedIn Free Online Workshop Series will help you, the frustrated producer, take back control of YOUR prospecting process and LinkedIn positioning. Right now, in the midst of all the uncertainty, you […]

UPDATE 3/30/20: Federal Law Alert COVID-19: April 1 Effective Date for FFCRA Leaves On Tuesday, March 24, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that the effective date of the leaves available through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) will be April 1, 2020. Based on the language in the bill, the effective date was […]

While an IRS audit strikes fear in the hearts of business owners, a Workers’ Compensation premium audit is considered routine. Yet, there is a very good chance that it can result in higher charges, particularly if you are not adequately prepared. Clerical errors, incorrect classifications, and miscalculations often lead to overcharges. There are two important […]

The Institute’s Leader Workers’ Compensation Analyst, Kevin Ring, was featured on the December 18th episode of the Connected Insurance Podcast, produced by Agency Revolution. In this conversation, Kevin discusses strategies that are working today to get employers excited about workers’ compensation, despite drastically falling rates. Check it out here.

In a standard interpretation https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2019-07-11 issued earlier this year, OSHA answered the question: Are online training programs acceptable for compliance with OSHA’s worker training requirements?  Interestingly, this standard interpretation is very similar in wording to one issued 25 years ago. While the agency acknowledges that online training is a useful component of an overall training […]

The 2018 World Series left in its wake memories of clutch hits, gutsy pitching, and ballet-like leaping catches. But the one memory that also stands out took place even before the first pitch was thrown, when Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts posted his opening game lineup. The lineup was remarkably missing his three best hitters, all left-handed batters […]

The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) examined the impact of opioid prescriptions on the duration of temporary disability benefits for workers with lower back injuries. The conclusion: long-term opioid prescriptions lead to temporary disability durations more than three times longer than claims without opioid prescriptions. Long-term is defined as having prescriptions within the first three […]

Getting LOTO wrong is costly Here’s how to get it right Many companies believe they are in compliance with OSHA’s Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) standard; yet, it is one of the most difficult to comply with and is the number five violation in general industry and construction. To give you an idea of the standard’s complexity, a […]