Quote of the day
"This happens every single day, whether it's a rail car, whether it's just running into a burning building... But these brave men and women, they don't hesitate, they're there looking out for us, we have to look out for them."
New Jersey State Sen. Stephen Sweeney, who is sponsoring a bill that seeks to make it easier for emergency workers to collect workers' comp
Washington Raises Workers’ Comp Rates by Average 3.2 Percent
The Washington Department of Labor and Industries formally adopts 2008 workers’ compensation rates that were proposed in September, increasing premiums by an average of 3.2 percent. The rate boost is intended to partially cover wage and health care inflation.
Go to the full story by C.R. Roberts, Tacoma News Tribune
Go to the full story in the Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle)
New Jersey May Ease Workers Comp for Disaster Responders
Saying it was spurred by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, New Jersey State Sen. Stephen Sweeney introduces legislation to give emergency workers a better chance of receiving workers’ comp for chronic illnesses suffered as a result of responding to disasters. The measure would force employers to prove that a responder’s illness did not stem from a response effort, rather than requiring employees to prove the opposite in order to collect workers’ comp. By Trish G. Graber, Gloucester County Times
Go to the Full Story…
Ohio House Votes to Limit BWC’s Investment Options
The Republican-controlled Ohio House of Representatives votes to impose a list of permissible investments on the state Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, the largest state-run workers’ comp fund in the United States. Only five Democrats join Republicans in support; the rest question whether the measure would preclude a legislative inquiry into past scandals. By Jim Provance, Toledo Blade
Go to the Full Story…
Probe of Sept. 11 Rescue Worker Fund Planned
Federal officials will investigate why a $1 billion insurance fund that Congress created to cover claims of sick Ground Zero workers is fighting the cases in court instead of distributing money. New York City Mayor Bloomberg has urged redirecting the money to create a straight compensation fund for sick workers. By Isaac-Davy Aronson, WNYC Radio
Go to the Full Story…
Audit: WSI Reserves Too High
A new audit says North Dakota’s workers’ compensation agency is keeping a financial reserve that’s larger by $175 million than state law allows. Meanwhile, Workforce Safety and Insurance plans to hire a consultant to study its troubled management operations by mid-January. By AP via KXMB-TV (Bismarck) [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Florida Worker Who Lost Arm Sues Firm for Unguarded Machine
An Orlando worker, who lost an arm and suffered shoulder and face injuries, takes Florida’s largest construction firm to court, claiming the incident could have been prevented had the company spent a few hundred dollars on a machine guard. The employer contends the worker has received at least $89,000 in worker’s comp. WFTV (Orlando) [With Video] Go to the Full Story…
New Group to Provide Training in Northwest Territories, Nunavut
A Workers’ Compensation Board association is poised to start providing proper safety training to construction workers across the Canada’s Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The program is modeled largely after the Alberta certificate of recognition program, which is aimed at reducing personal and monetary costs of workplace accidents. By Quenneville, Northern News Services
Go to the Full Story…
Lawyers Square Off on Reform in Missouri High Court
One attorney tells the Missouri Supreme Court that the state’s workers’ compensation reform law violates the open courts and due process requirements of the Missouri and U.S. constitutions, while the other claims that the state has no obligation to provide a no-fault compensation system. By Steve Bell, KCUR Radio (Kansas City) [With Audio] Go to the Full Story…