Quote of the day
“We don’t want our miners, an injured miner, on the hook just because workers’ comp doesn’t want to pay the bill. We’re going to see how the debate unfolds and visit a little bit with the legislators and see where this goes.”
Travis Deti, executive director, Wyoming Mining Association, regarding proposed legislation that aims to protect injured workers from costly air ambulance bills
Casper Star-Tribune
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign fined for failing to carry workers’ comp coverage
New York insurance officials have fined U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign for failure to carry workers’ compensation coverage for a month in 2018. New York Daily News
The Hour editorial: Connecticut law must change to protect injured first responders
Without a change in state workers’ compensation law, The Hour’s editorial board argues, Connecticut first responders may be worth more to their families dead than disabled. One disabled officer’s wife is pushing to amend existing law to allow municipal officials to circumvent the state workers’ compensation system in order to provide lifetime benefits equal to the salary at the time of the injury. The Hour (Norwalk, Conn.)
Concerns raised about Wyoming air ambulance legislation
Some attorneys and labor officials are criticizing a bill in the Wyoming Legislature that would provide air ambulance services a choice in terms of receiving payment for transporting injured workers: roughly double the Medicare reimbursement rate, or bill the worker directly for the rest. Opponents of the proposed legislation say it won’t do what it’s purportedly intended to do, i.e. protect injured workers from the high costs of air ambulance services. Casper Star-Tribune
New York corrections officer charged with workers’ comp fraud
A 31-year-old New York State corrections officer has been charged with workers’ compensation fraud for allegedly submitting false leave documentation that resulted in $4,000 in unearned benefits. WIVB (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Ohio BWC to hold workplace health and safety conference in March
The Ohio Safety Congress & Expo, hosted by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, is lated for March 6-8 in Columbus. The expo is billed as the largest regional safety and health conference in the country and will feature more than 200 exhibitors in its marketplace and 200 educational sessions including injury and illness prevention, rehabilitation, return-to-work and cost savings. Daily Jeffersonian (Cambridge, Ohio)
Ohioan caught illegally collecting workers’ comp
A 39-year-old Mentor, Ohio man will be required to pay back the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation over $5,000 and serve three years probation after he was reportedly seen getting into a truck loaded with construction supplies at a home improvement store while collecting workers’ compensation. News-Herald (Willoughby, Ohio)
Honduran who provided Florida contractors with workers sentenced
A Honduran citizen who set up a shell company to provide construction labor to contractors in Northeast Florida was sentenced in December to more than two years in federal prison. By obtaining and paying the workers through the shell companies, the contractors were able to evade payroll tax, workers’ compensation coverage, and legal work requirements. Jacksonville Daily Record