Quote of the day
"I'm sure the workers' comp hearing officers see these types of claims all the time."
Diana Bauer, attorney for an Indiana exotic dancer who injured herself while performing a pole trick onstage at a Fort Wayne strip club.
Exotic Dancer Can Collect Workers’ Comp for Pole-Dancing Injury
The Indiana Court of Appeals upholds and increases a workers’ compensation award for an exotic dancer who suffered a cervical disc injury from pole-dancing at a Fort Wayne strip club. By Niki Kelly, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
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Beehive State Applicant Attorneys Blast Fee Restrictions
Attorneys who represent injured Utah workers decry a system that allows their Workers Compensation Fund counterparts to be paid while cases are contested, while state law limits on how much applicant attorneys can be paid and mandates that they cannot get paid until their clients’ win their cases. “Attorneys can’t afford to work for free,” says attorney Mike Martinez, who contends that the system hinders injured workers from getting representation.
Go to the full story by Jennifer W. Sanchez, Salt Lake Tribune
Go to the full story by Deborah Bulkeley, Deseret Morning News
North Dakota Ballot Initiative Petition Greenlighted
Supporters of reforming North Dakota’s workers compensation agency, Workforce Safety and Insurance, now can gather signatures for a ballot initiative that would allow the governor to hire the agency director, allow civil service protection to WSI employees, and forbid WSI from changing decisions of administrative law judges who hear agency disputes. By AP via KXnet.com (Bismarck – Mandan, N.D.)
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Washington Insurance Industry Blasts Ad as Exploitative
A battle over a November ballot measure in Washington state that would allow triple damages against insurance carriers that deny coverage on legitimate claims gets ugly. The industry is attacking a television ad featuring the daughter of a firefighter who died of leukemia while waiting for workers’ compensation to pay for a bone marrow transplant.
Go to the full story by Chris McGann, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Go to the full story by Robert Mak, KING-TV (Seattle) [With Video]
Did Mountain State Oversight Bill Happen Overnight?
West Virginia business and industry groups say creating an oversight committee for the state’s privatized workers’ compensation system contradicts the very idea of the state’s recent reforms—and a bill that appeared in a subcommittee hearing with no discussion leading up to it was a big surprise. According to Republican State Sen. Don Caruth, “I’m very concerned about it because if it is enacted, it will put back under legislative power the ability to establish rules for workers’ compensation.”
Go to the full story by Beth Gorczyca Ryan, State Journal
Go to commentary by George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
Go to commentary in WBOY-TV (Clarksburg, W.V.)
Lone Star Sessions Put High Workers’ Comp Costs in the Crosshairs
The Texas Department of Insurance, which says sprain and strain are the most common types of work-related injuries, is trying to lower workers’ compensation costs by offering safety training at eight regional safety summits across the state. By Jessica Holloway, KFDM-TV (Beaumont)
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Florida Cop Sues Child’s Family for Injury Suffered in Rescue
A Casselberry, Fla., veteran police officer draws criticism for suing the family of a 1-year-old boy who nearly drowned in the family pool. The officer alleges she suffered a broken knee when she slipped in a puddle of water while responding to the family’s 911 call, and that workers’ compensation and disability checks don’t fully cover her medical bills. By AP via Miami Herald
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Arizona SCF Boss Sits Down for Q&A at Expo
As SCF Arizona, the state’s largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance, hosts its annual Safety Works Expo in Tucson, president and CEO Don Smith answers questions about a variety of issues, including increased workers’ comp benefits and the state’s drugs-in-the-workplace bill. By Shelley Shelton, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)
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