National – The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) released two reports:
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- “Court Case Update: Looking Back at 2024” report. This document reviews cases from 2024 that were analyzed by NCCI’s Legal team, highlighting potential impacts on the workers’ compensation system. Throughout the year, the Legal team examined court decisions on various familiar topics, including exclusive remedy, COVID-19, first responder presumptions, marijuana, independent contractors, and other state-specific developments
- February Market Insights report, which provides a monthly overview of key labor market statistics and potential impact on workers’ compensation. The report highlights the changing workforce, and economic conditions are crucial for workers’ compensation executives, providing timely perspectives on the latest job reports for informed decision-making.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Journavx (suzetrigine) 50 mg oral tablets, a non-opioid analgesic for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in adults. Journavx helps reduce pain by blocking pain signals in the nerves before they reach the brain.
The Insurance Information Institute reported that the national workers’ compensation industry maintained strong underwriting profitability in 2023, achieving its second-best result in 20 years with a net combined ratio of 87.
Arizona – Republican House Representative David Livingston’s HB 2033 bill passed the House this week with a 48-11 vote and is in the Senate. The bill aims to modernize the workers’ compensation process by allowing electronic delivery of documents and notices. Specifically, it would authorize the electronic transmission of documents, as current law permits this only with the written consent of the receiving party.
Kentucky – HB 420 was introduced late this week in the House. HB 420 aims to amend Kentucky’s workers’ compensation laws to better support first responders. The bill expands the definition of “injury” to include psychological injuries for police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, front-line staff, and National Guard members. It also sets criteria for recognizing psychological injury claims, even without a physical injury, ensuring mental health challenges faced by first responders are acknowledged and supported. To learn more, check out this Business Insider Article.
Virginia – HB 1902 was discussed in front of the Senate Education and Health Committee. As a reminder, HB 1902 aims to improve the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Specifically, if passed, the bill would require the inclusion of overdose data in the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) to enhance the monitoring and response to the opioid crisis and other substance abuse issues. Additionally, the bill mandates that practitioners obtain this data when prescribing opioids.
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