Ohio BWC to send up to $1.6B in dividends
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is requesting approval of a measure that will allow the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation to send up to $1.6 billion in dividends to employers by the end of the spring, in order to ease the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. NBC4i (Columbus)
Minnesota governor signs bill to protect first responders, frontliners
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday signed a bill that expands workers’ compensation eligibility for doctors, nurses, firefighters, paramedics, police, long-term care workers, home health workers, correctional officers, and child care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, by creating the presumption a COVID-19 infection is work-related, unless the employer proves the infection happened elsewhere. The legislation is effective April 8 and is in place until May 1. WCCO (Minneapolis)
Former Navy civilian employee charged with workers’ compensation fraud
A 67-year-old former Navy civilian employee has been charged with false statements to obtain federal workers’ compensation. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison, a $100,000 fine, and up to one year supervised release. WNCT (Greenville, N.C.)
Florida insurance regulators offer workers’ comp, telehealth guidelines
This week, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation offered some guidelines for insurers dealing with workers’ compensation coverage and telehealth matters as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. State CFO Jimmy Patronis and Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier both talked about the new guidelines. Florida Daily
Miami-Dade construction sites take COVID-19 precautions but stay open
Although several Miami-Dade cities have banned most construction jobs within their jurisdictions, no such ban exists for Miami and the rest of the county. Some experts warn construction sites remain a potential hot zone for spreading COVID-19, no matter what safety precautions are taken. Miami Herald