Phones Off, Court On

New Jersey reaffirms a near-total ban on recording workers' compensation proceedings.

Medicaid Cuts: Workers' Compensation Pays?

Trump Administration's Medicaid Work Requirements May Shift Enormous Costs to Employers and Workers' Compensation Insurers

Asbestos at the Fifth Circuit

How a TSCA Rule Argument Reaches Into Workers’ Compensation.

Discovery Delays Cost Defenses

An employer's dilatory discovery and silence regarding a motion to strike led the Appellate Division to affirm an order compelling knee-replacement surgery and to underscore that medical care cannot be delayed.

Medicaid Care Workers: Not Jointly Employed

 In a significant ruling for the home care and Medicaid services industry, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed that a financial management services vendor does not qualify as a joint employer of home care workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The decision in Talarico v. Public Partnerships LLC, decided May 19, 2026, carries important implications for workers' compensation coverage, overtime liability, and the rights of workers who are exposed to occupational hazards, including asbestos, in home health settings.

Medical Records Fees Reshape Claims

The cost of obtaining medical records in New Jersey workers’ compensation cases has been significantly restructured. Senate Bill 2253—signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy as P.L. 2022, c. 114, effective September 22, 2022—slashed the permissible fees that hospitals and licensed health care professionals may charge for copies of medical and billing records. Three years on, a January 5, 2026, regulatory amendment to N.J.A.C. 8:43G-15.3 has updated hospital licensing standards to bring administrative rules into full alignment with the statute, closing a gap that had persisted since 2011.

Hemp, Medicare, and Workers' Compensation

A federal district court in the District of Columbia has dismissed a challenge to a novel Medicare hemp-access program, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue. The decision in Smart Approaches to Marijuana v. Kennedy (D.D.C. May 22, 2026) has significant implications for healthcare providers, insurers, and workers' compensation practitioners navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of cannabis-related medical treatment.