News Digest 3/4/2008

By: Rick Waldinger

Quote of the day

"What job is more strenuous and prone to injury in Philadelphia: fighting fires, walking the police beat, or writing parking tickets? According to workers' compensation claims it would appear that being a meter maid, er, parking enforcement officer, is dangerous to your health."

Editorial, Philadelphia Inquirer

Go to the full article in the Philadelphia Inquirer

Hit by Drunk Driver, Central Valley Woman Faces Workers’ Comp ‘Nightmare’
Jennifer Smith, a 24-year-old Manteca receptionist says she will have to live the rest of her life with pain, degenerative joint disease and other ailments that are the result of a 2003 job-related collision with a drunk driver. But she also faces a battle with the state’s workers’ compensation system. “They are treating her like a criminal, but she’s a victim, and that needs to change,” says her husband. By Joe Goldeen, Stockton Record [with photo] Go to the Full Story…

Commentary: Patronage at Root of Philly Parking Agency’s Fraud
Amid revelations that Philadelphia Parking Authority employees file workers’ comp claims twice as often as city firefighters and police officers, it’s clear that the authority needs to more aggressively target fraud. But the bigger problem—the authority’s patronage-swollen structure, which results in the hiring of politically connected workers who don’t really care about their job performance—will be harder to change. Philadelphia Inquirer
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North Dakota AG: WSI Violated Open Records Law
Workforce Safety and Insurance violated North Dakota’s open records law by refusing to disclose certain documents to a critic of the agency. However, the workers’ comp agency properly declined to provide copies of building security videos and a separate list of records to the Bismarck attorney, concludes the state’s attorney general. By Dale Wetzel, Fargo Forum [may require registration] Go to the Full Story…

Oklahoma High Court Remands Workers’ Comp Case
The Oklahoma Supreme Court remands a case in which a man failed to file a claim for benefits from the Multiple Injury Trust Fund for more than 12 years after his injury. Though he appeared to have exceeded the five-year statute of limitations, the state high court found that the workers’ comp court failed to include key information. By Janice Francis-Smith, Journal Record (Oklahoma City)
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PEI Opposition Blasts Liberal Appointments to WCB
In Prince Edward Island, Opposition party members want the government to publicly account for its selection process after allegations of patronage regarding several recent political appointments. All six new appointees to the Workers Compensation Appeals Tribunal have ties to the Liberal party. By Teresa Wright, Guardian (Charlottetown)
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Buckeye State City Not Enforcing Registration Law, Says Contactor
In Mansfield, Ohio, a contractor, who was part of a group that last year lobbied the city council for a registration system to protect legitimate contractors from scofflaws, contends that the city has not enforced an ordinance requiring contractors to register with the city. By Linda Martz, Mansfield News Journal
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‘Well Notes’ Eyed for Mental Health Absences
In Britain, many employers regard general practitioners as an obstacle when dealing with workers’ long-term sickness absences. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is arguing that the new “well note” plan, and a phased return to work, particularly in cases of mental ill-health, could cut the costs of long-term illness to business significantly. By Mary Braid, Times Online (U.K.)
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Study: One-Third of U.K. Nurses Attacked at Work
Nearly one in three British nurses suffers frequent violent attacks at work, according to a new survey of nearly 40,000 nurses. The research suggests that violence has had wide-reaching effects, including problems with recruitment and nurses leaving the profession, increased amounts of sick leave and “burnout.” By David Rose, Times Online
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