Quote of the day
"It's important to be rated. The whole reason you buy insurance is so the insurance company will be there when you have claims."
Steve Hackenburg, casualty manager, Aon Risk Services in New York, regarding the transfer of a Tennessee restaurant association's bankrupt trust liabilities to an unrated insurer
Big Sky Employers Get Some Good News
As of the first of next month, Montana employers may see a drop in their workers’ compensation rates: the overall 2.9 percent decrease is a result of a revised medical fee schedule and is expected to save the state about $10 million. By AP via KRTV (Great Falls)
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Ergonomics: Can ‘Trackbar’ Catch the Mouse?
In Napa Valley, many know Mike Sjoeblom as the innovative vintner who creates a sparkling wine from cabernet sauvignon grapes, but before that had another career: a developer of ergonomically-sound products, including the “Trackbar,” which may solve ailments related to heavy use of the computer mouse. By Sasha Paulsen, Napa Valley Register [with photos] Go to the Full Story…
Tennessee Restaurateurs Skeptical About Unrated Insurer
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance signs a deal to transfer a restaurant association’s bankrupt trust liabilities to a small, unrated insurance company whose staff attorney once worked for the state commerce department, and restaurant owners wonder if they will be burned again. By Naomi Snyder, Tennessean [with photo] Go to the Full Story…
Missouri: More Than 1,000 Fraud, Noncompliance Cases Last Year
Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations officials report that in calendar year 2007 the agency received 446 allegations of workers’ compensation fraud and 598 allegations of noncompliance. The agency referred nearly 200 cases to the state’s attorney general’s office for prosecution. Springfield News-Leader
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BrickStreet Preps Mountain State Employers for Privatization
As July 1 looms, BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. is taking the time now to prepare West Virginia employers for what could happen when the state’s workers’ comp market opens to all private, licensed carriers. Since the company began in January 2006, its policyholders have experienced an average 27.5 percent decrease in their workers’ compensation rates.
Go to the full story by Lauren Hough, the Journal (Martinsburg, W.V.)
Go to the full story by Samantha Porterfield, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Keystone State Auditor Writes Up School District
A Pennsylvania auditor general report lists five violations that a school district allegedly committed during the construction of its new fieldhouse, including failure to comply with the state’s workers’ compensation act. The agency initiated the audit after it received allegations of financial mismanagement, conflicts of interest and violations of contracting requirements. By Rebekah Sungala, Herald Standard (Uniontown, Pa.)
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