Five Things You Need to Know: 2/3, Friday Edition

FOUR ORIGINAL CONTENT STORIES FROM WORKERSCOMPENSATION.COM:

1) What Does Tax Time Mean for the Workers’ Compensation Industry?

It's that time of year again, when taxes create a conversation between Uncle Sam and millions of hard-working Americans. Though workers’ compensation policies are most often exempt from federal and state taxes, there are times they are not, which is why it is vital to know if you owe. "It is important for anyone who gets workers’ comp to talk to a tax advisor because you don't want to fail to declare income," Thomas B. Wassel said, partner at Cullen and Dykman LLP, out of Garden City, NY. To read more of this original content, click here.

2) FL Senate Approves Cancer Presumption Bill

In a typical workers’ compensation claim, the burden of proving that the injury was work-related lies with the claimant. For Florida firefighters who are diagnosed with a few specific types of cancer, the burden of proof is about to shift to the employer. To read more of this original content, click here.

3) A Review of ‘Red Flags’ in Liberty Mutual’s Annual Study

Overexertion and same-level falls remain the top two causes of U.S. employers' workers’ compensation payouts, according to an annual study by Liberty Mutual Insurance. Supported by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Academy of Social Insurance, The 2017 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index grades serious, non-fatal work-related wounds at an annual cost of $59.9 billion. To read more of this original content, click here. 

4) Hungry Hungry HIPAA: Could It Mean Potential Liability for Medical Providers?

For more than 20 years, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has been the law of the land. The voluminous act contains many provisions not relevant to the workers’ compensation industry. However, there are issues within the privacy law section of HIPAA that workers’ compensation medical providers and insurers should be aware of in order to ensure compliance. To read more of this original content, click here.

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VA Firefighters Push for Better Cancer Coverage

Senate Bill 1119, along with its companion bill in the House, would subsititute the word "colorectal" for "rectal" in the Virginia Workers' Compensation rules for what types of cancers are covered in firefighters. One word might seem pretty small, but it's a big deal to Roanoke County firefighters, according to Shane Dwyer of WDBJ 7. Lawmakers in Richmond are spending time "...mulling over..." the legislation. "It's harder for physicians to diagnose colon or rectal cancer due to the size of each," Toby Martin said in the article, President of the Roanoke County Professional Firefighters Union. "You're looking at a colon that's five feet long to a rectum that's actually 10 to 15 centimeters long. So a lot of times what we're having is the diagnosis is colorectal cancer, and anyone who is diagnosed with that is not covered under the presumptive cancer law." This also isn't the first push to get more cancers covered. "They've pushed for this fix in years past with no luck. 12 firefighters in Virginia have been denied, 12 too many for bill sponsor and firefighter Senator Jeremy McPike," writes Dwyer.

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