Quote of the day
"We need to know who was involved in this practice, how widespread it was, and how much it cost employers who didn't have the political connections it apparently took to receive a rate cut."
Ohio State Sen. Mark Dann, the state Democratic candidate for state attorney general, who wants the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation to release more information on why workers' comp rates were lowered for 27 Ohio employers
BP Trial Underway in Lone Star State
Jury selection begins in the first civil trial stemming from the BP Texas City refinery disaster. Eva Rowe, 22, who lost both her parents in the March 2005 explosions, has refused confidential settlement offers and is suing the oil giant for negligence and $1.2 billion in damages. By Anne Belli, Houston Chronicle
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Post-Katrina Partnership Enforces Workers’ Comp Coverage Requirements
In the post-Katrina rebuilding effort, the Louisiana Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration is partnering with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors to ensure all commercial contractors, particularly those from out of state, carry workers’ compensation coverage before they are licensed. New Orleans City Business
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Noe Defense Calls No Witnesses
Prosecutors spent three weeks presenting evidence that politically-connected coin dealer Tom Noe allegedly looted more than $2 million from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation investment and spending it on his business and himself. His defense rests without calling any witnesses after the judge denies its motion to dismiss all charges. By John Seewer, AP via Akron Beacon-Journal
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Audit Shows Some Ohio Employers Got Lower Rates
Amid political pressure, administrators at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation release information showing that rates were inexplicably lowered for 27 Ohio employers. The auditors found there were no written policies or procedures to determine when bureau administrators would override the computer system to lower rates. By AP via Cincinnati Enquirer
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Aussie Lawyer Group Hopes Appointment Means More Claims
The Australian Lawyers Alliance hopes the appointment of a consultant to head a review into workers compensation in Tasmania will lead to an increase in claims. An alliance official says the current scheme is inadequate because it only compensates workers who lose more than 30 percent of their capacity to work.
ABC News Online (Australia)
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Q&A: Should Company Have Put a Lid on Claim Info?
How much privacy can an injured worker reasonably expect within the company after filing a workers’ compensation claim? By Carrie Mason-Draffen, Newsday (Melville, N.Y.)
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BrickStreet’s ‘Old Fund’ Employees to Lose Jobs
Sixty-three BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. employees who handle “Old Fund” workers’ compensation claims paid to injured workers who got awards before July 1, 2005 will be laid off at the end of the month, and they’re still in the dark about promised new jobs and retraining. By Paul J. Nyden, Charleston Gazette
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Workplace Wellness Programs Can Help Companies of All Sizes
Experts say workplace wellness programs can slow or prevent the movement of low-risk employees into the high-risk category that accounts for the overwhelming majority of employers’ health insurance costs, not to mention make workers more productive. By Mal Leary, Bangor Daily News
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