Minneapolis goes on installment plan to pay workers comp settlements
The self-insured city of Minneapolis has had so many workers’ compensation settlements with police in the past year-and-a-half that it has begun spreading out the payments over three or four years, instead of paying workers in one lump sum. Post-traumatic stress disorder claims are making up a much larger portion of the claims than in previous years, according to the city’s director of risk management and claims. Minnesota Reformer
Florida: Orange County approves fireman’s cancer death benefit
Orange County, Florida officials have voted to pay a full $75,000 cancer death benefit to the widow of a veteran fireman, a decision the county’s public safety director said reflects the administration’s support of the county’s first responders. Under Florida’s SB 426, 21 cancers including brain cancer are to be covered for all full-time firemen who have served with their respective agencies for at least five years. ClickOrlando
New York State WCB to scrutinize general releases attendant to section 32 agreements
The New York Workers’ Compensation Board last week announced that, as of December 6, 2021, it would begin mandating an affirmation by the party signing the Section 32 Agreement on behalf of the carrier/self-insured employer that there are no additional agreements between the parties that are not reflected in the Section 32 Agreement. The stated aim of this was to force the parties to disclose any general release of liability that was agreed attendant to the agreement, write several Goldberg Segalla LLP attorneys. Lexology
Employer gets probation after fatal 2016 fall at New Jersey site
A Newark, New Jersey contracting company was sentenced to five years probation following the death of an employee who fell off a roof in in 2016, according to federal prosecutors. The owner of the company previously pleaded guilty in federal court to willfully violating federal OSHA standards by failing to provide fall protection to employees engaged in the construction of a residential home. Patch