Quote of the day
“He’s been caught before. So this is a continuing course of conduct — clearly a knowing course of conduct to defraud the worker’s comp board.”
Fox 8 (New Orleans)
Tulane Law Professor Joel Friedman, regarding the chairman of the Louisiana State License Board of Contractors
Louisiana: State official’s companies sanctioned in two investigations
Companies owned by the chairman of the Louisiana State License Board of Contractors have been sanctioned in two separate investigations surrounding workers’ compensation claims, a New Orleans station reports. When applying for coverage through the Louisiana Worker’s Compensation Corporation, one company reportedly claimed that an employee drove about 3,400 miles a week. The state’s Workers’ Compensation Board found the company paid many clerical workers more in mileage reimbursements than wages. Fox 8 (New Orleans) [with video]
Ski area employee injuries on the rise
New data indicates skiing facilities have the third highest incidence rate of non-fatal occupational injuries among all US industries. The rate of 10.1 injuries per 100 employees in 2017 is nearly double the number of 2014, when ski areas ranked 13th. This data may factor into higher workers’ compensation premiums for ski companies. KPCW (Park City, Utah)
More than 5,000 sign petition to add EMS personnel to Connecticut PTSD bill
A bill in the Connecticut legislature that passed through committee this week provides up to one year of workers’ compensation coverage for police officers and firefighters. As of Thursday, more than 5,100 people had signed a petition to add emergency medical service personnel to the bill. The proposal comes after the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities reached a compromise with police and fire unions, ending a debate for mental health coverage that’s been going on since the Sandy Hook school shooting. News 12 Connecticut [with video]
Massachusetts: Video exposes cases of workers’ compensation fraud
A Boston station has obtained exclusive video that helped expose cases of workers’ compensation fraud in Massachusetts. WCVB (Boston) [with video]
Pennsylvania bill would tweak PTSD treatment under workers’ comp
A proposed bill with the power to alter Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation law is designed to benefit first responders who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Lehigh Valley Business [may require registration]