National – President Trump nominated former Amazon and UPS Safety Executive, David Keeling, to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Prior to this nomination, David Keeling was the President of Global Health and Safety at UPS from March 2018 to July 2021. Afterward, he served as the Global Road and Transportation Safety Director at Amazon from July 2021 to May 2023.
The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) announced a new series of industry-level trend analyses and insights using NAICS codes. These reports aim to provide information on premium share, frequency, and employment levels by industry, allowing carriers to compare their books of business with overall industry trends. The first of the series, Industry Drill Down – Next Level, was released this week.
The International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) opened nominations for its ninth annual NextGen Awards. These awards recognize individuals under 40 who are positively impacting the workers’ compensation industry and demonstrating exemplary work within their organizations. Nominations can be submitted from February 12 through March 12, 2025, and winners will be announced on June 2, 2025.
Kentucky – Two bills are currently in the Senate:
- SB 201 - aims to streamline the appointment process for administrative law judges and Workers’ Compensation Board members. The bill mandates certification of the necessity for filling positions 150 days before term expiration, allows the nominating committee to recommend retention of board members, and specifies the timing for new appointees to assume office.
- SB 191 - aims to expand the definition of “injury” to include certain PTSD diagnoses, allows reliance on objective medical opinions for determining benefits, and mandates transparency in treatment denial guidelines
Minnesota – The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry published a guide to assist users in navigating electronic filing. The guide, Guide to Common Minnesota EDI and eForm Errors, serves as a resource to help users address common error messages. It includes examples of errors, instructions on how to resolve them, EDI reporting reference links, and a glossary of abbreviations relevant to EDI and the Workers’ Compensation Campus, the department’s electronic filing system.
New York – NY SB 755 was signed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul this week. SB 755 clarifies workers’ compensation coverage for mental injuries resulting from extraordinary work-related stress. The bill includes claims for PTSD, acute stress disorder, and major depressive disorder arising from distinct work-related events.
Texas – The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation opened public comments on an informal working draft for amendments to the rules governing the calculation of average weekly wages. These amendments aim to clarify the process for insurance carriers to request adjustments to a seasonal employee’s average weekly wage and to obtain wage information from seasonal employees. The division will accept public comments on the draft rule through March 17th and comments can be sent to rulecomments@tdi.texas.gov.
Virginia – HB 1902 passed the Senate and is now headed to the Governor. As a reminder, the bill 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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