Quote of the day
“This is a life or death issue.”
West Virginia state Rep. Chad Lovejoy, regarding first responders who are suffering from PTSD
West Virginia lawmakers may provide workers’ comp to PTSD-stricken first responders
An estimated 85 percent of all first responders deal with some sort of mental illness at some point within their career, according to a University of Phoenix study. Some West Virginia lawmakers are responding by trying to pass legislation that would provide workers’ compensation to first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. A similar bill was introduced last session, but failed. WOWK (Huntington, W.V.) [with video]
Florida: Siblings sentenced for employing illegal aliens and tax evasion
A Jacksonville, Florida couple has been sentenced to federal prison in connection with a scheme to help illegal aliens obtain jobs in the construction industry, evading millions of dollars in taxes in the process. The couple allegedly established companies for which they obtained minimal workers’ compensation insurance covering only a few employees. First Coast News (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Massachusetts contractor charged with fraud
Prosecutors have charged a 32-year-old Quincy, Massachusetts man for allegedly misrepresenting himself as a licensed contractor and billing customers as much as $100,000 for thousands of hours of substandard or unfinished construction work. The indictments allege he lied about his licensure, experience, insurance status and his ability to do the work. Wicked Local Hanson
Virginia surgery center awarded more than $27K in workers’ comp lawsuit
A Virginia appeals court ruled that a Roanoke ambulatory surgery center’s claim seeking full compensation for two surgeries was not barred by the statute of limitations. Becker’s ASC Review
Washington: Salon “booth rental” bill amended
A bill in the Washington Legislature that would have banned the common “booth rental” model of hair salon businesses, in order to level the playing field between salons that have official employees and those that rent out booths, has been amended by its sponsor following some backlash by stylists and barbers. The bill would now subject booth rental businesses to the same legal structures such as paying unemployment and workers’ compensation as salons with employees, and expand the new restrictions to include booth rentals at barbershops. Inlander