Quote of the day
"If the person is unable to return to work because he is in jail or because he is fired with cause ... why should the employer or workers compensation continue to pay his (wage) claim?"
Utah State Rep. Michael Morley, sponsor of a workers' comp reform bill that critics contend is anti-illegal immigrant
Critics Blast Beehive State Bill as Anti-Illegal Immigrant
A Utah lawmaker introduces a bill that seeks to hold both employers and employees more accountable in disability claims, but critics say the reform to Workers Compensation Fund wage benefits would be so sweeping that many workers, including illegal immigrants, could not collect benefits. By Deborah Bulkeley, Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)
Go to the Full Story…
Hearing on AIK Settlement Scheduled for February
A Kentucky judge will hear a proposed settlement with the former officers and trustees of the failed AIK Comp self-insured workers’ compensation fund near the end of February. State insurance commissioners took over the fund in 2004 after it reported a $58.5 million net-worth deficit from 1999 to 2003, which was the result of AIK Comp officials undercharging members for premiums.
Go to the full story in Business First of Louisville
Go to the full story by AP via Lexington Herald Leader
Granite State Lawmakers Eye Loophole
In New Hampshire, a bipartisan legislative effort set for early 2008 targets workers’ comp reform that has had unintended consequences for small contractors. Earlier this year, the state legislature closed a loophole that had allowed some contractors to avoid paying workers’ comp fees by hiring workers as independent subcontractors, but that forced small firms to pay for compensation for themselves at construction industry rates even if they rarely visited jobsites. Concord Monitor
Go to the Full Story…
North Dakota Workers’ Comp Agency Fires Chief Executive
An attorney for the chief of support services at the North Dakota workers’ comp agency Workforce Safety and Insurance says its chief executive should be prosecuted for allegedly punishing whistleblowers with firings or suspensions, as the agency’s board votes to fire Sandy Blunt. By AP via Dickinson Press
Go to the Full Story…
Authorities Nab Garden State Framer on Workers’ Comp Charges
A New Jersey building contractor whose firm did at least $3 million in carpentry and construction jobs in Suffolk County, N.Y., is arrested for failing to pay state employment taxes and workers compensation premiums, according to the district attorney. By Joseph Mallia, Newsday
Go to the Full Story…
A.M. Best Assigns ICR to DHC Group
Ratings bureau A.M. Best Co. assigns issuer credit ratings of “bb-” and affirms the financial strength rating of B- (Fair) of Long Beach’s DHC Group and its members. The outlook for the FSR is stable, and the outlook assigned to the ICR is stable. Forbes
Go to the Full Story…