Quote of the day
"The recent media focus on the system gives us a chance to see if we can make it a better, fairer program so nobody falls through the cracks."
New Jersey Sen. Paul Sarlo, announcing plans for a special hearing into the state's workers' comp system
Special Report Spurs Special Hearing in Garden State
The New Jersey Senate announces plans for a special hearing into the state’s $1.8 billion workers compensation insurance system. State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), chairman of the Senate Labor Committee, says he is convening the May hearing in response to a series of articles in the Newark Star-Ledger that showed how bureacratic delays, politics and poor oversight have left thousands of injured workers waiting years for the relief they are due. By Dunstan McNichol, Newark Star-Ledger
Go to the Full Story…
Beehive State La-Z-Boy Plant Veterans Join Class Action
Nearly 30 former workers at a Utah La-Z-Boy assembly facility file affidavits alleging they were unfairly discharged after suffering work-related injuries and filing for workers’ compensation. They allege that the self-insured employer instructed its third-party adjuster to deny claims and refuse treatment, harassed injured workers to discourage them from applying for benefits, and assigned tasks they were physically unable to perform in order to justify firing them. By Pamela Manson, Salt Lake Tribune
Go to the Full Story…
Sooner State Justices Examine ‘Good Faith Reliance’ Exception
The Oklahoma Supreme Court, examining the “good faith reliance” exception to the long-standing rule of principal employer liability in the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Act, determines that a homebuilder is responsible for paying workers’ comp benefits to the injured employee of a subcontractor whose policy was canceled. By Janice Francis-Smith, Journal Record
Go to the Full Story…
Bill Would Allow Oklahoma State Fund to Sell Out-of-State
Legislation allowing Oklahoma’s state fund to sell workers’ compensation policies outside of the state is on its way to Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, who is expected to sign it. By Roberto Ceniceros, Business Insurance
Go to the Full Story…
Commentary: Reform Brewing in Land of 10,000 Lakes
As the 2008 legislative session continues, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry discusses workers’ compensation reform proposals for the 2009 session. By Steve Sviggum via Bemidji Pioneer
Go to the Full Story…
Bay State Employers to See Small Rate Cut
The Massachusetts attorney general says the state has reached an agreement with the Workers’ Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau and the State Rating Bureau that will mean a rate decrease for employers. Earlier this year, WCRIB sought to get a 2.3 percent rate increase for companies purchasing workers’ compensation policies.
Go to the full story in the Boston Business Journal
Go to the full story by Chris Reidy, Boston Globe [with photo] Go to the full story by AP via Boston Herald
BrickStreet Woos with Wiis
Each agent who attended BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co.’s annual agents’ meeting and golf outing earlier this month in Kentucky received gifts worth $350 to $500, including a Nintendo Wii game console. BrickStreet, which paid a total of $28.3 million in commissions to agents last year, is trying to win agents’ loyalty as the Mountain State prepares for competition in its workers’ comp market. By George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
Go to the Full Story…
WSI Board Upholds Firings of Auditor and Support Services Chief
North Dakota’s workers’ compensation board affirms the firings of Workforce Safety and Insurance’s agency’s former internal auditor and chief of support services, both of whom were dismissed last month following a consultant’s critical appraisal of their performances.
Go to the full story by AP via KXMC-TV (Minot, N.D.)
Go to the full story by Dale Wetzel, AP via Fargo Forum
Updated BLS Stats Paint Grimmer Picture
Revised Bureau of Labor Statistics data on workplace fatalities in 2006 indicate that the numbers were higher than previously thought: The final count of 5,840 means that the overall occupational fatality rate increased 2 percent between 2005 and 2006. The number of fatal work injuries involving foreign-born workers also increased. By Katherine Torres, Occupational Hazards
Go to the Full Story…
Scotland Eyes Reversal of Ban on Pleural Plaques Compensation
Scottish government officials say that legislation is expected soon that would reverse a ruling that had prevented workers’ compensation claims for asbestos-related pleural plaques on grounds that the lung-scarring is not a disease. Carrick Gazette (Scotland)
Go to the Full Story…