Quote of the day
"The U.S. Army highly disputes allegations made by one or two think-tank analysts that our veterans' service is in any way attempting to shortchange wounded soldiers on their needed disability benefits."
Army spokesman Paul Boyce, blasting assertions that the Army underrates injured soldiers' disability ratings
New York: Deal Reached on Workers’ Comp Reform
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and state legislative leaders agree to overhaul the state’s low-payout, high-cost workers’ compensation system, which upstate business leaders have long complained strains the construction and manufacturing sectors of the economy. Major changes include a cap on how long partially disabled workers can collect benefits and elimination of the state’s Second Injury Fund.
Go to the full story by Jay Gallagher, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Go to the full story in Business First of Buffalo
Go to the full story by Danny Hakim and Steven Greenhouse, New York Times
Unions Appeal Denial of Their Attack on Missouri Reform
Missouri’s 2005 workers’ compensation reform raised the bar on proving a compensable workplace injury, and business groups are pleased. But coalition of 73 unions intends to argue to the Missouri Supreme Court that it altered the system so much that it is no longer a viable alternative to a lawsuit. By Jeremy Elwood, Springfield Business Journal [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Contractor Allegedly Claimed No Employees When Roofer Killed
Authorities charge a Binghamton, N.Y. roofing contractor with filing false documents with the state Workers Compensation Board to the effect that the company had no employees when a worker was fatally injured on a roofing job last fall. By Jim Wright, Press & Sun Bulletin
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Army Responds to Allegations of Disability Underrating
While acknowledging that its Physical Disability Evaluation System has shortcomings, the Army disputes statements by Disabled American Veterans that the Army systematically gives injured soldiers’ lower disability ratings than they deserve as part of a “bureaucratic game to preserve the budget.” By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
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Commentary: Connecticut’s Current State of Affairs ‘Frightening’
Connecticut State Sen. Edith Prague, chairman of the Labor and Public Employees Committee, responds to a recent Norwich Bulletin editorial on proposed adjustments to the state’s workers’ compensation laws that she says “demonstrated a complete lack of understanding ” of what it takes for an injured worker to receive benefits. By Edith Prague, Norwich Bulletin
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Ontario WSIB Pledges Cancer-Prevention Efforts
The Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board states that it is focusing on linking prevention and occupational disease in an effort to combat the rising trend in work-related cancers over the last decade. By Brian Baker, Daily Commercial Online (Ontario, Canada)
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Commentary: Iowa Bills Deserve Tough Scrutiny
Iowa State Sen. Pat Ward discusses several bills that could challenge the bottom line cost of doing business in the Hawkeye State, including one that would repeal employer choice of medical providers in workers’ compensation claims and another that would allow claims to be made in Iowa for injuries suffered by an employee while working outside the state. Des Moines Register
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