Quote of the day
“When an employer that is self-insured for workers’ compensation purposes files bankruptcy, the bankruptcy court puts a stay on any money going out. So, at that point, the state workers’ compensation agency takes overpayments to injured workers and medical providers caring for them.”
Linda Hamilton, chair, Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana
Illinois cook claims stabbing was a workplace injury
A Joliet, Illinois cook has hired a law firm to file his application for benefits with the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission, on grounds an injury to his right hand that occurred during a stabbing inside the restaurant’s kitchen earlier this month was a workplace injury. Patch (Joliet, Ill.)
OFF TOPIC
Your company might be next to leave California
The California exodus is being fueled by a widely-held perception among businesses that their interests are rarely considered or listened to by state and local officials. The exodus could get worse — and no one seems to have a plan to stop it. California Political Review
Employee temporarily loses workers’ comp after company files for bankruptcy
A trucking company employee who was injured in a crash, exactly a month after two of the company’s former top employees were charged with fraud, only received three workers’ compensation checks before they stopped coming and is stuck in limbo at least until a new third party administrator for his bankrupt employer is found. WKRN (Nashville, Tenn.)
Study: Gig economy bilking Washington’s coffers
In Washington state, construction, clerical services, and hotels and restaurants represent the three sectors where misclassification of employees is most prevalent, according to a a new study by Harvard Law School’s Labor and Worklife Program researchers. They found that between 2013-2017, the state lost $152 million in unemployment taxes and the state’s workers’ compensation system lost $268 million via unpaid premiums. The problem appears to be most pronounced in the northwestern metropolitan regions of the state. Seattle Business