Quote of the day
"What is this going to cost the employer and how many people are going to lose their jobs?"
Mississippi Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Dean Kirby, claiming he was "blindsided" by an amendment to a workers' comp bill that would have extended benefits by 50 weeks
Wisconsin Supreme Court Allows Stacking of Benefits
The Wisconsin Supreme Court rules 4-3 that workers who undergo two surgeries for the same knee injury can earn double the amount of disability payments, rejecting employer DaimlerChrysler’s argument that such awards cannot be stacked. Capital Times (Madison, Wisc.)
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Colorado Firefighters’ Cancer Bill Shifts Burden to Insurers, Employers
A Colorado House Bill is aimed at “removing a nearly impossible standard to prove an on-the-job injury” for firefighters, by forcing insurers and employers to presume firefighters contracted certain types of cancer on the job. The bill covers brain, skin, digestive, hematological and genitourinary cancers.
Go to the full story in the Denver Business Journal
Go to the full story by Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News
Mississippi Senate Bill Passes; Amendment Struck
A workers’ compensation bill passes the Mississippi Senate after a majority strikes a contentious proposal that would have extended benefits from 450 weeks to 500 weeks. By Holbrook Mohr, AP via Sun Herald (Gulfport – Biloxi, Miss.)
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Alberta: Physician Double Billing in the Crosshairs
The Alberta auditor general will keep close tabs on Alberta Health and Workers’ Compensation Board administrative policies to prevent recurrence of double billing by doctors. Moreover, an Alberta Health spokesman says the agency is working with the WCB to set up an information-sharing system to prevent similar abuses. By Michelle Mark, Edmonton Sun
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Another Georgia County Announces Dividend
Lincoln County, Ga., receives a dividend of more than $10,000 from the Association County Commissioners of Georgia-Group Self-Insurance Workers’ Compensation Fund, dispensed as a premium credit toward the county’s workers’ comp premium for the 2006-2007 policy year. Lincoln Journal (Lincolnton, Ga.)
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Queens Residents Busted for Comp Fraud
Ten residents of the New York City borough of Queens face charges of workers’ compensation fraud totaling more than $110,000. The defendants allegedly either received benefits while working or operated a business without workers’ comp coverage. By Nathan Duke, Times Ledger (Bayside, N.Y.)
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Michigan Gov. Names Comp Magistrates
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm announces appointments and reappointments to the Worker’s Compensation Board of Magistrates, which functions within the state Department of Labor and Economic Growth. Between the Lines News via PrideSource
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Taft Gives Back Coin Dealers’ Contributions
As his administration drew to a close, the campaign committee of former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft sent back a check for nearly $27,000 to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. The amount was intended to cover the contributions Taft had received from coin dealer Thomas W. Noe and his wife over the years. By Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch
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