Quote of the day
"We're giving workers who have been injured on the job a say in their own medical treatment. We can save everyone trouble by allowing patients to spend more time getting the treatment they need from the best doctors and less time fighting big insurance in the courts."
Colorado State Rep. Morgan Carroll, about Colorado House Bill 1176
Free Screening Offered to Former Livermore Lab Workers
Former employees of Lawrence Livermore and Sandia/California National laboratories are eligible for free medical screening to determine if they have any health problems related to work-related exposure to radiation, asbestos, beryllium, silica, lead, lasers or other toxins. Ill workers can apply to a Department of Labor federal compensation program to receive $150,000 and have their medical costs covered. By Betsy Mason, Contra Costa Times
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Colorado House Preliminarily Approves to Two Workers’ Comp Bills
The Colorado House tentatively approves two workers’ compensation bills: one would require companies to let injured workers choose between two doctors; the other would extend benefits to firefighters with certain types of cancer linked to toxins they are exposed to on the job. Both bills await a final vote in the House before moving to the Senate. By Jeri Clausing, Denver Post [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Kentucky ‘Mining Scofflaw’ Cops to Fraud
A Kentucky coal operator with one of the worst records in the U.S. of paying mine safety violation penalties pleads guilty to fraudulently misrepresenting the number of employees to workers’ compensation insurers. By Bill Estep, Lexington Herald-Leader
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Commentary: A Closer Look at Workers’ Comp
A University of North Carolina doctor says the current plight of disabled American veterans spotlights the struggle that those who seek help from our national disability system confront. The main problem is the rules governing disability determination. By Dr. Nortin Hadler, ABC News [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Arkansas May Eliminate Second Injury Trust Fund
An Arkansas House committee approves legislation that would eliminate the state’s Second Injury Trust Fund, making businesses responsible for paying wage loss to employees hired with disabilities who are injured on the job. A representative of the Arkansas Self-Insurers Association said small businesses would rather risk premium increases to cover workers in the event of an accident rather than an increase in the premium tax to keep the fund alive. By Jason Wiest, Arkansas News Bureau
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Alternative to Montana State Fund Opens New Digs
Victory Insurance Company Inc., the first Montana-based private insurer to offer workers compensation coverage, opens in Miles City. The business is intended to be an alternative to the Montana State Fund, which has about 70 percent of the business in the state. By AP via Miles City Star/Helena Independent-Record
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N.C. Insurer Announces Dividend
Builders Mutual Insurance Co., a North Carolina-region insurance provider to the home-building industry, plans to distribute $2.8 million in dividends to eligible workers’ compensation policyholders as a result of fewer than expected workers’ compensation claims. Winston-Salem Journal
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