All businesses in California must carry workers’ compensation insurance in the event anyone who performs work for a company is injured while working. Unlike other types of insurance, workers’ compensation policy premiums are collected as an estimate during the policy term. Once the policy term ends, an auditor checks the premium amounts by conducting an…
DetailsFor two years, RPNA’s Nick Roxborough has been leading the fight against the Division of Workers’ Compensation’s (DWC) underground rule-making, which is impacting hundreds of QMEs in California. He recently filed an amended complaint with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, adding a new allegation that the DWC used underground rules relating to time spent on medical research as a basis to deny reappointment…
DetailsIn RPNA’s case (Howard v DIR), LA County Superior Court Judge James Chelfant opined that the Division of Workers’ Compensation relied on unenforceable underground regulations when it denied applications for reappointment from two QMEs and unreasonably delayed hearings when the doctors objected. According to Nick Roxborough, the judge’s decision means the division “can’t continue to…
DetailsRPNA continues to fight against unlawful WC side agreements. Nick Roxborough recently finished hearings before a DOI administrative law judge in the case Davidson Hotel v. Travelers. Once again, another carrier is attempting to illegally enforce the terms of its unfiled workers’ compensation side agreements, subjecting employers to out-of-state arbitrations, over collateralization, and overpayment for coverage due to poor claims handling. RPNA…
DetailsWorkers’ compensation premiums, or the amount the employer pays to insurance companies to protect the employer as well as the employee in the event of a workplace accident, can be challenging to calculate. A premium is based in part on the dollars in payroll the company pays as well as the employer’s industry. Underreporting of…
DetailsWorkers’ compensation premiums, or the amount an employer pays to an insurance company in exchange for the carrier providing medical treatment and compensation to employees in the event of workplace accidents, are audited at the end of the policy term. Before the policy becomes effective, workers’ comp insurance companies prepare an initial estimate of premiums,…
DetailsWorkers’ compensation insurance, the nation’s oldest social insurance, protects employees and employers if an employee is injured while on the job. If employees get hurt or are sick because of work, an employer must pay workers’ compensation benefits, and those benefits are typically paid through insurance. Because this insurance affects nearly all California employers and…
DetailsWhile a predetermined formula sets workers’ compensation insurance premiums, employers often dispute the amounts of the premiums they are asked to pay and it’s no surprise as to why: Insurance premiums are one of the many challenging costs for California employers. In fact, according to a 2014 report, California is the most expensive state for…
DetailsThe California legislature was certainly busy last year, resulting in a number of new and significant employment laws effective January 1, 2018. Employers should take note of the following key developments and review their policies and practices—preferably with counsel—to ensure they are in compliance and limit their potential exposure.
A leading insurance trade journal, Workers’ Comp Executive, has named RPNA’s Nick Roxborough and his work involving employer battles against insurance carriers—in this instance, Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary Applied Underwriters—as the No. 1 story in 2017. Roxborough was identified as one of two attorneys “leading the fight in cases against Applied.” RPNA is proud…
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