Massachusetts has announced several updates to its Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), Unemployment Insurance (UI), and Workers’ Compensation programs for 2025. Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Updates Contribution Rates: For employers with 25 or more employees, the total contribution rate remains at 0.88% of eligible wages. This rate…
Workers’ compensation protects employers and employees nationwide from financial loss in a workplace accident. However, there are some rules and exceptions that you must consider before making a claim. If you or someone you know has been hurt at work and are seeking workers’ compensation benefits, here’s what you need…
You’ve likely heard about workers’ compensation, but you never expected to find yourself in a situation that warrants benefits. Of course, no one anticipates being hurt at work, but when it happens, you may be entitled to compensation from your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company. By law, workers’ compensation insurance…
The novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc, especially when it comes to the workplace. Businesses classified as nonessential have been forced to close their doors, while those considered essential have continued operation but under a new set of rules. Along with other states, Massachusetts has established safety standards that workplaces must…
Immigrant workers and Massachusetts employee advocates are demanding the passage of a bill aiming to protect injured employees from workplace retaliation (including deportation threat) for reporting on-the-job injuries. SD1182/HD2947 would limit companies’ ability to work their way out of paying Massachusetts workers’ compensation benefits by reporting employees who are not…
Massachusetts construction companies are focusing on the risks created by opioid use and addiction and the role these drugs play in work injuries. The Massachusetts chapter of Associated General Contractors sponsored a statewide opioid awareness day on June 5, to draw attention to the impact the opioid crisis is having…
Media outlets are marking the 100th anniversary of Boston’s deadly molasses flood, which tore through the city’s North End, killing 21 and injuring another 150. The Washington Post reports the rivets on a 50-foot-high storage tank began punching through the crisp January afternoon in staccato bursts. I dull roar followed…
Opioid addiction is a major public health problem in Massachusetts, and tragically, many people become hooked on these powerful painkillers as a result of a workplace accident. The latest quarterly statistics on opioid-related overdose deaths among Massachusetts residents, as supplied by the state Department of Public Health, reveals there were…
Anytime someone is injured on-the-job in Massachusetts, the first course of action is typically a workers’ compensation claim. Pursuant to MGL c. 152 section 25A, most employers in the Commonwealth are required to purchase workers’ compensation that will provide coverage to employees who are injured at work or contract a…
When workers suffer from mental disorders or psychiatric injuries as a result of a job-related issue or incident, they may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits may include coverage of medical bills for therapy and medication. It could also cover a portion of lost wages if the condition…