Quote of the day
"Even with rate decreases we've been able to make a profit. That tells us privatization is working."
Greg Burton, BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. president and CEO
Fifth Circuit Rules for Lockheed in Workplace Shooting Case
The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the dismissal of claims by 27 plaintiffs who sued Lockheed Martin for damages in the aftermath of a 2003 shooting rampage at a Mississippi plant, ruling that the claims by survivors and family members of victims were exclusively compensable through state workers’ compensation law. By AP via Hattiesburg American
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BrickStreet CEO: Bring It On
Speaking to business groups across the Mountain State, Greg Burton, BrickStreet Mutual’s president and chief executive officer, says that the privatization of workers’ compensation in West Virginia is working that his company is ready for nationwide competition when the market opens in July. The number of workers’ comp claims filed in the state dropped from 52,000 in 2003 to 40,000 last year.
Go to the full story by George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
Go to the full story by William Daniel, Wheeling Intelligencer/News-Register [with photo]
City Contends Cop Was Off-Duty During Deadly Crash
Elyria, Ohio officials are fighting a court battle against the family of a police officer who was killed in a 2004 motorcycle crash. The city claims that the officer was off-duty at the time of the crash; the Ohio BWC, which is awarding benefits, says the officer was running errands for a union function. By Brad Dicken, Chronicle-Telegram
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Granite State Republicans Sought Wider Fix to Workers’ Comp Law
Officers of small corporations and limited liability companies in New Hampshire can again step foot on construction sites without having to purchase expensive workers’ compensation coverage for themselves, thanks to a legislative vote that fixes a law that went into effect last September. But the fix did not go as far as state Republicans wanted. By Bob Sanders, New Hampshire Business Review
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Gov Targets Lawyer-Legislators in State of State Speech
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, in his state of the state address, zeroes in on reform of the state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission, stating that during a two-year period, lawyer-legislators received nearly $8 million in legal fees from the commission: “Our Workers’ Compensation Commission awards are anything but predictable for the way that they are subjective and treat workers different.” By Bob Sanders, Charleston Post & Courier
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Fuel Company Worker Alleges He Was Fired for Filing Claim
A West Virginia worker files a lawsuit against his former employer, claiming he was fired after filing for workers’ compensation in connection with a late-2006 truck accident. By Cara Bailey, West Virginia Record
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