Quote of the day
"I have been trying to get my hands around it for three years. The system needs to be overhauled."
New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, about the Garden State's embattled workers' comp system
South Carolina Gov Pulls Controversial WCC Nomination
Gov. Mark Sanford withdraws his nomination to the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission of an attorney who had faced serious scrutiny due to his involvement last year in composing executive orders that sought to influence settlement claims. S.C. Politics Today
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Garden State Lawmaker Pledges Overhaul of System
New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat, vows to overhaul the state’s “completely dysfunctional” $1.8 billion workers’ compensation system, the subject of a recent Newark Star-Ledger special report. State Labor Commissioner David Socolow, however, defends the system, including its “drastic reduction” in backlogged cases. By Dunstan McNichol, Newark Star-Ledger [with photo] Go to the Full Story…
New Jersey Town Official Fears Drained Workers’ Comp Fund
A Vineland, N.J. city councilwoman tells the city council that the city’s workers’ compensation fund may be bankrupt, but won’t identify the person who brought the information to her attention for fear of retaliation by the mayor’s administration against that person. By Tim Zatzariny Jr., Daily Journal (Vineland, N.J.)
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Cornhusker State Lawmakers Reverse on Mental Trauma Bill
State lawmakers change positions and vote down a bill, which they had preliminarily approved earlier in the week, that would have made police officers, firefighters and other emergency workers who witnessed violent acts eligible for workers’ compensation benefits for mental trauma.
Go to the full story by AP via KPTM-TV (Omaha)
Go to the full story by Martha Stoddard, Omaha World-Herald
Granite State Agencies to Probe Possible Worker Misclassifications
New Hampshire Labor Commissioner George Copadis states that his department has received so many complaints about employers misclassifying employees as independent contractors, in order to avoid paying workers’ compensation, that his agency will be collaborating with four other state agencies to investigate. By Ashley Smith, Nashua Telegraph [with photo] Go to the Full Story…
New York Officials Shut Down Famous Bronx Bakery
Labor officials in New York issue a stop-work order to the famed Arthur Avenue Bakery in New York City’s Bronx, for alleged widespread violations of minimum wage, overtime and workers’ comp laws. State Workers’ Compensation Board officials say the bakery carried no workers’ compensation insurance for more than a year. By Steven Greenhouse, New York Times [may require registration] Go to the Full Story…
P.E.I. Auditor Discloses Preferential Treatment for WCB Clients
A “special arrangement” between Prince Edward Island and the Workers Compensation Board is allowing clients to move ahead of those who have been waiting much longer for some critical medical tests, according to the provincial auditor general. By Wayne Thibodeau, Guardian (Prince Edward Island) [with photo] Go to the Full Story…