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Insurance

Opting out of workers’ comp? You risk negligence lawsuit

10/01/2006

The federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which regulates employee benefit plans, usually covers employees’ claims related to their benefits. However, Texas employers who opt out of the state workers’ compensation program may receive a nasty surprise …

Outsourcing training? You’ll still pay for injuries

10/01/2006

If you outsource employee training programs that include self-defense or other physically demanding work, be aware that the waivers signed by your employees may mean you will have to pay for any injuries …

On-the-job fatalities increase in Texas, bucking national trend

10/01/2006

Texas employers recorded 495 fatal occupational injuries last year, compared to 440 fatalities in 2004, a 12.5 percent increase, according to a newly released annual report from the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) …

New workers’ comp rules on medical peer reviews

10/01/2006

The Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission recently adopted new rules to clarify the qualifications and functions of designated doctors and peer reviewers in the Texas workers’ comp system …

You may soon need a lawyer at unemployment comp hearings

10/01/2006

It’s enough to give employers a case of whiplash. First, Pennsylvania courts said corporate employers couldn’t hire nonlawyers to help them at unemployment compensations hearings. Then the legislature reversed course, passing a law that OK’d nonlawyer representation. That should have been the end of the issue, but not yet …

Arkansas ‘Race Across State’ Contest Promotes Exercise

09/01/2006

Employees from about three dozen public and private organizations in Arkansas are participating in a virtual race across the state as part of the Arkansas Fitness Challenge created by the state Department of Health and Blue Cross and Blue Shield …

California’s paid family leave law turns 2

09/01/2006

California employees are paying into a two-year-old paid family leave fund, yet only 29 percent know it, says a new study by the Paid Family Leave Coalition …

Survey: Fertility coverage won’t spike employers’ costs

09/01/2006

Ninety-one percent of employers that provide coverage for fertility treatment haven’t experienced a related increase in their medical costs, according to a new survey of 900 employers by Mercer Health and Benefits …

Pennsylvania to reduce unemployment taxes next year

09/01/2006

With the Pennsylvania economy doing well and unemployment down, the commonwealth has decided to reduce the amount that employers will have to pay into the unemployment compensation (UC) system in 2007. UC taxes on employers will decline by an estimated $158 million …

Do you carry the right insurance against employee lawsuits?

09/01/2006

Your company has employment practices liability insurance (EPLI), so it’s covered in case of any employee lawsuit, right? Not so fast. The fine print in an EPLI policy can turn an apparently strong lawsuit shield into a worthless piece of paper …