Quote of the day
"There's never been one person who's said, 'It's happened to me.' I've asked where, but I've never come up with a showing in this instance. Please tell me who's doing the retaliation and where."
Gary DiCeglio, chairman of the Ohio Industrial Commission, which handles workers' comp appeals, about the source of complaints of alleged retaliation within the agency
Audit: ‘Climate of Fear’ Afflicts Agency That Handles BWC Appeals
The Buckeye State’s troubled workers’ comp system is back in the news after an outside audit finds a “climate of fear” in the state agency responsible for handling appeals of Bureau of Workers’ Compensation cases. More than 90 percent of employees of the Ohio Industrial Commission reported retaliation and other management issues to auditors. By James Nash, Columbus Dispatch
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Iowa Doc First to Edit Special Workers’ Comp Award Guidelines
A Des Moines physician who specializes in disability and rehabilitation is the first physiatrist to serve as medical editor of the Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. The special guidelines are used in determining payment in workers’ compensation and personal injury claims. By Dawn Sagario, Des Moines Register
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Prosecutor Mulls Charges Against Former WSI Boss
A North Dakota state’s attorney says he is reviewing a state auditor’s report and considering criminal charges against the former chairman of Workforce Safety and Insurance, the state’s workers’ compensation agency, for allegedly using a county cell phone and pickup for agency business.
Go to the full story by Dale Wetzel, AP via Grand Forks Herald
Go to the full story by AP via KXMB-TV (Bismarck)
Minnesota Chamber Gets Workers’ Comp Rate Deal
Eligible Minnesota Chamber of Commerce members will be able to buy workers’ compensation insurance at a discount of up to 15 percent through a partnership with SFM Companies, the chamber announces. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
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Consultant: Return to Work 101 Can Stem ‘Grim’ Lost-Time Stats
“I find that employers seldom attempt to quantify the impact of allowing an employee who could return to work to stay at home. If employers ask one simple question—What is the cost of leaving this employee at home?—they might not be so quick to say, ‘We have nothing available,'” says a consultant Margaret Spence. American Chronicle
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Cornhusker State Legislators Reverse Again on Mental Trauma
Emergency responders who suffer mental illness after witnessing violent acts may get workers’ compensation benefits, after state lawmakers change positions on the bill for the second time and advance a bill that would make police officers, firefighters and other emergency workers eligible. By AP via KPTM-TV (Omaha)
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Saskatchewan WCB Posts Record Surplus
For the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board, 2007 was a record year: the board posted the largest surplus and highest investment income in its history. The good news is counterbalanced by the province having Canada’s second-highest injury rate, says the board’s CEO. By Bruce Johnstone, Regina Leader-Post
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