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Florida officials last month charged eight people with workers' comp fraud and money laundering, and their investigation continues.

"Workers' compensation underlying costs have continued to deteriorate since our last pure premium rate filing, submitted April 12, 2012." With that, the California Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau summarized its rate filing for January 2013.

Workers' comp carriers are helping Florida officials address a money laundering scheme that is costing the state potentially $1 billion per year.

"Duration for claims with prescribed opioid pain medication is clearly higher than for claims without opioids prescribed," says a new NCCI study. While acknowledging opioids do not necessarily cause longer durations, the researchers say it may be an area that warrants further research.

The Division of Industrial Affairs issued a memorandum announcing the new workers' compensation rate.

Rates of medical-only claims declined slightly while lost-time claim frequency edged up among California's private self-insured employers last year. The result was a drop in overall claim frequency of just over 2 percent.

Insurance claims fraud is exploding, according to a new report. The rate of questionable claims for the first time increased by 19 percent from 2009 to 2011 with workers' comp one of the largest fraud areas.

The improvement in workers' comp claims from 2010 to 2011 is credited for a decrease in West Virginia's rates. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced an overall 9.1 reduction in workers' comp loss costs effective Nov. 1.

Loss costs in the New York workers' comp system will remain unchanged this year. The Cuomo administration rejected the New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board's proposed 11.5 percent increase, saying the state's businesses must remain competitive in order to create jobs and get the state's economy back on track.

The rate of workers' comp claims was back down in 2011. The 1 percent decrease came on the heels of a 3 percent increase in 2010 -- the first hike in frequency since 1997.

Net premiums written by state funds increased more than 7 percent in 2011. The market is likely to see more significant growth than the rest of the workers' comp industry this year, according to a new analysis from A.M. Best.

Long-term opioid users in the Texas workers' comp system are getting a wake-up call. The state next year is shutting off their supply unless they have pre-authorization.

There are cases in which opioids might be the best treatment for an injured worker. But physicians need to be able to tell whether a treatment is working and use the right yardstick.

The Industrial Commission proposed to amend rules regarding workers' compensation filing requirements.

Workers' comp insurers are trying to "settle in at appropriate pricing," said Richard Kerr, CEO of MarketScout, after the company's release of the latest commercial rates.

The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board adopted rules regarding lien claims, which went into effect on May 21.

More injured workers returned to work after receiving a lump-sum settlement than exited the workforce, says a new study. The findings offer answers about the effect of settlements on return-to-work efforts.

The Workers' Compensation Division issued a bulletin regarding self-insured base rates and election of method used for determination of premium.

Returning injured workers to the workforce can be tricky in the current economic environment. Some employers question whether it is feasible to pay a less-productive injured worker and may instead consider replacing that employee with a less expensive new hire.

The combined loss and expense ratio in California's workers' comp system increased by five percentage points from 2010 to 2011.