Author: hammond

With an anticipated surge in heat waves this summer, California officials are grappling with the lasting economic impact on workers and businesses, while also exploring additional measures to safeguard those most affected by extreme temperatures. Despite California’s existing heat standards safeguarding outdoor workers, advocates and workers contend that enforcement remains a challenge. Efforts to establish indoor workplace heat regulations have been ongoing for years. An analysis of California worker compensation data from 2001 to 2018 reveals a correlation between hot days and increased...

An increasingly prevalent challenge in California’s workers’ compensation landscape involves claims related to cumulative trauma, where establishing causation can be dubious. These claims often arise after the worker has left their job, and additional diagnoses may be added by the claimant’s physician at a later stage. Discussions at various sessions during last week’s annual Workers Compensation and Risk Conference highlighted the dilemma facing employers: whether to settle or contest such claims. While there’s a growing consensus that settling could be advantageous...

A recent report reveals a significant 51.1% decrease in inpatient hospitalizations within the California workers’ compensation system from 2012 to 2022. This decline stems from various factors, including reduced claim numbers, advancements in technology, changes in Medicare regulations permitting more outpatient procedures, the cessation of redundant payments for spinal surgery hardware, and the expansion of evidence-based protocols for spinal fusions and related surgeries, as highlighted in an analysis by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. Utilizing data encompassing 28.7 million...

A former chiropractor was sentenced to 54 years, eight months in state prison and ordered to pay more than $23 million in fines for his role in orchestrating a massive workers’ compensation fraud scheme totaling $150 million. Peyman Heidary, was convicted by a Riverside County jury in January 2024 of 68 counts of insurance fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, and various other charges. “The California workers’ compensation system is designed to help injured workers get back on their feet without ruining them financially,” said Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin. “Sophisticated criminals...