Quote of the day
"They've just never seemed to care. When I was on the phone with case managers, they just didn't care. When I went to the medical appeal, they just didn't care. When I went blind and became paralyzed, they just didn't care."
Dan Darnell, injured Alberta worker, who has seen his workers' comp case drag out nearly 20 years after his original injury
Federal Jury Acquits Ohio Brokers in Bribery Case
After less than three hours of deliberations, a federal jury acquits two Cleveland-area brokers of conspiring to bribe Terry Gasper, the former Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation chief financial officer, with the use of a Florida condominium in exchange for bureau investment business. Lawyers for the brokers had argued that Gasper, who pleaded guilty to corruption charges in June and is cooperating with authorities, is lying to help reduce his prison sentence. By Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch
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North of the Border, Appeals Can Stretch over Decades
As a blind former “rig pig” spends nearly 20 years of his working life fighting for workers’ compensation benefits, the Alberta government vows to move forward with a promised contentious claims tribunal to help injured workers whose claims have been unfairly rejected. A bonus system that rewards case managers for saving money and timely clearing cases has skewed the decisions of the WCB against injured workers, say both advocates and former staff. By Jeremy Loome, Edmonton Sun
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Q&A: Employer’s Reemployment Obligations Explained
When an animal care facility’s staff veterinarian is injured, must the facility offer a modified or light-duty position while waiting to see if he can return as a vet? Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore.)
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New York City’s Nonunion Worksites See Most Deaths
With building-boom fatalities on the rise, 86 percent of construction-site deaths in the city occur on nonunion jobs, according to the New York Daily News, and that number is up 13 percent from last year. “I attribute these numbers to an increase in illegal construction activity,” says Louis Coletti, president of the Building Trades Employers’ Association. By Brian Kates, New York Daily News
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Dangerous Meatpacking Jobs Continue to Draw Illegal Labor
Illegal immigrants’ attraction to meatpacking, one of the most dangerous factory jobs in the nation, is creating an environment that is increasingly difficult to monitor, much less improve. At least one in 10 meatpackers is injured annually; some think the number is closer to one in five. Dallas Morning News
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Spike in Firefighters’ Claims Sparks Suspicion
In Newfoundland, officials accuse firefighters in the St. John’s Regional Fire Department of workers’ compensation fraud after firefighters make four times as many claims this year as they did last year. City officials say the claim spike started after employees bought private insurance that gives them about $500 a week on top of the amount they would get from workers’ comp. CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador
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One More Hurdle Remains to Hardie Asbestos Compensation
Asbestos victims finally are within reach of billions of dollars in compensation, thanks to a deal between building products giant James Hardie and Australia’s New South Wales government, but the company still must obtain shareholder approval before paying out any money. The Age (Australia)
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