WorkCompCentral

A Texas appellate court ruled that the Division of Workers’ Compensation may penalize a chiropractor for continuing to bill for services provided after his license expired. Case: Vanderwerff v. Texas Department of Insurance, No. 15-25-00026-CV, 07/23/2026, published. Facts: Eric Vanderwerff has provided chiropractic services to patients within the workers’ compensation system for more than 25 years. Chiropractic licenses expire every two years unless renewed.

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that an employer is not limited to rebutting the statutory presumption of industrial causation for a police officer's post-traumatic stress disorder with an independent psychological evaluation, and that an evaluation based on outdated guidelines can be considered. Nicholas Rowe served the City of Minneapolis as a police officer for 25 years.

A Texas appellate court upheld the dismissal of a self-represented worker’s claims against his former employer due to governmental immunity. Case: Everett v. Cleveland Independent School District, No. 09-25-00142-CV, 07/23/2026, published. Facts: Thomas W. Everett worked for the Cleveland Independent School District. He alleged that he was wrongfully forced to resign under duress, and that the district fraudulently filed a workers’ compensation claim on his behalf.

The National Council on Compensation Insurance reported that medical inflation softened in June, but added that the trend is likely only temporary. NCCI reported that overall workers' compensation medical costs in June 2026 are 1% higher than they were at the same point in 2025. The 1% growth rate compared to a 1.9% average inflation rate over the last 12 months and three- and five-year averages of 2.5%.

Florida's Statewide Nominating Commission for Judges of Compensation Claims is meeting Aug. 24 to interview two candidates for reappointment and to consider applications for new appointments. Commission members will interview judges Ray Holley and Rita Young, who are up for reappointment. Holley has served as a judge of compensation claims since 2010.

Don Hofer was appointed to the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau Governing Committee, the Department of Insurance announced. The department also announced that Andrea Hecht and Jim Taylor were appointed to represent insurers on the California Insurance Guarantee Association board of governors.

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker should have been granted summary judgment on his Labor Law claim, and that the defendants were entitled to conditional summary judgment on their third-party indemnification claims. Case: Canales v. Noble Construction Group LLC, No. 161247/19, 595182/20, 595970/21, 596029/21, 07/16/2026, published. Facts: Jose Canales worked for C&L Concrete Corp. He allegedly suffered injuries while helping to carry an 800-pound end box, a type of electrical cabinet.

A Louisiana appellate court upheld a judge’s decision prohibiting a worker from introducing witnesses and evidence at trial on his claim, as well as the involuntary dismissal of his claim. Case: Honeycutt v. Acentria Insurance, No. 2026-CA-0012, 07/17/2026, published. Facts: Andrew Honeycutt was working as a concrete delivery driver for Intrastate Trucking LLC on July 15, 2022, when the truck he was driving turned over into a ditch.

An Iowa appeals court ruled Wednesday that a city had a reasonable basis to dispute a municipal worker’s cumulative knee injury claim, requiring dismissal of his bad faith lawsuit. In Wall v. City of Des Moines, the Iowa Court of Appeals reversed a trial judge’s refusal to grant the city summary judgment and remanded the case for dismissal.

Estimated paid costs in California increased 13.5% in 2024, according to the 2025 annual report that the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation released last week. Medical, indemnity and expense costs increased to $24.516 billion in 2024 from $21.594 billion in 2023, according to the 2025 report released Thursday and the report released last year. The biggest increase was expenses, which jumped 25.8% to $9.734 billion from $7.735 billion.