Quote of the day
“Personally, it’s a waste of time and a waste of money because we were telling them this all along.”
Newport News, Virginia firefighter Adrian Manning, regarding a study’s recommendation to broaden the list of illnesses presumed linked to the job
Note to our valued subscribers: Workers’ Comp Executive will be taking its annual holiday break starting Monday, December 23, 2019. We will resume daily publication Monday, January 6, 2020.
Study recommends expanding workers’ comp for Virginia firefighters, other public safety workers
Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission recommended Monday that state lawmakers consider changing state law to add brain and testicular cancer, and potentially colon cancer, to the list of diseases presumed related to workplace exposure for firefighters. The long-awaited study also found that the state system puts “unreasonably burdensome” requirements on workers to prove their illnesses were caused by their jobs. Roanoke Times
Maine: Town approves more for workers’ comp
Residents of Livermore Falls, Maine voted this week to transfer more than $25,000 from its undesignated fund to cover an increase in the town’s workers’ compensation insurance premium. Its experience modification rate increases 115 percent as of January 1, 2020. Sun Journal
Workers’ comp clients: When to seek counsel
Many injured workers handle their claims without a lawyer. Here, Alan Pierce talks with fellow workers’ compensation attorney Bernard Nomberg about why injured workers should seek counsel earlier rather than later to determine the needs of their case. Legal Talk Network [with audio]
Judge rules Illinois workers’ comp law doesn’t pre-empt certain claims
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act does not pre-empt a man’s claim for damages for his employer’s purported mishandling of his fingerprints, a federal judge held. Chicago Law Bulletin [may require registration]
Workplace injuries dropped in Minnesota in 2018
Workplace injuries caused 75 deaths in Minnesota in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, down from 101 in 2017 and 92 in 2016. That comes out to roughly 2.7 deaths per 100,000 full-time workers. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting were the deadliest industries in the state in 2018, and accounted for 22 deaths. Duluth News Tribune