Quote of the day
"We got the boot. It wasn't a random act."
Richard Espinosa, former member of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
Nuclear Workers Advisory Board Members Question Their Removal
Two former members of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, a presidential panel that helps the government weigh claims for compensation by current and former nuclear weapons workers, say they still have no idea why they were removed from the panel 14 months ago. Was it political? By Jim Morris, Brendan McGarry and Marina Walker Guevara, Center for Public Integrity (Washington, D.C.) [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Employers Holdings Says Profit Fell in Fourth Quarter
Employers Holdings Inc. announces that its fourth-quarter profit dropped 26 percent, as the prior-year quarter benefited from a large one-time gain. The company cites rate decreases in California for much of a decline in its net premiums earned during the quarter. By AP via Forbes
Go to the Full Story…
New York Corrections Officer Cops to Comp Fraud
A New York State corrections officer admits to fraudulently obtaining workers’ compensation benefits after video surveillance tapes show him actively working for a Buffalo-area roofing company. North Country Gazette
Go to the Full Story…
Garden State Officials to Review Default Judgment Against Workers
After a request from the state labor commission, the New Jersey attorney general and public advocate are reviewing the case of 84 former factory workers whose workers’ compensation claims led to a $2.26 million default judgment against them. The workers never responded to their former employers’ lawsuit accusing them of making false claims, and attorneys said most probably did not understand it. By Greg Saitz, Newark Star-Ledger
Go to the Full Story…
Amendments Shift Cost to Commuting Aussie Workers
The Australian Senate passes an amendment that removes the federal workers’ compensation scheme responsibility to pay compensation for public and some private employees who are injured going to or from work. By Alex Sloan and Nicholas Kittel, ABC.net (Australia)
Go to the Full Story…
Vermont Senate Approves Workers’ Comp Bill for State Employees
The Vermont Senate passes a bill intended to make it easier for some Bennington state office complex workers to collect workers’ compensation: the legislation presumes that workers in the building who are diagnosed with sarcoidosis contracted the illness at work. By Neal Goswami, Bennington Banner
Go to the Full Story…
Discount for Drug Testing Program Proves Popular in Wyoming
Wyoming employers are enthusiastic about a new state program that provides a 5 percent discount on workers’ compensation premiums in exchange for implementing drug testing. By Tom Mast, Casper Star Tribune
Go to the Full Story…
Routine Background Check Leads to Fraud Charges
A 50-year-old former University of Connecticut Health Center employee faces insurance and worker’s compensation fraud charges, after state investigators allege she forged physicians’ signatures and other documents on two separate claims. By Lisa Backus, New Britain (Conn.) Herald
Go to the Full Story…
Keystone State County Faces Emerging Comp Crisis
Venango County, Pa., has the second-worst insurance rate in a coalition of 50 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties: the rate has quadrupled in the past 10 years and is translating into higher premiums. The situation prompts officials to put a renewed emphasis on employee safety. By Judith O. Etzel, the Derrick (Oil City, Pa.)
Go to the Full Story…
Wisconsin Plumbing Business Cuts Costs in Tough Climate
The owner of a Milwaukee-based plumbing company discusses how it was able to reduce its workers’ compensation insurance rate by 13 percent, even though the state raised the base rate by 17 percent. By Elizabeth Hockerman, Small Business Times (Milwaukee)
Go to the Full Story…
Florida Fraud Charge Carries Possible 15-Year Sentence
The owner of a Tampa-area tree service company allegedly admits to operating for eight years without workers’ compensation insurance and now faces up to 15 years in prison, in addition to restitution and fines. In 2005, an employee’s arm and hand were crushed by a falling 12-foot section of tree, causing him to personally incur more than $255,000 in medical expenses. Tampa Bay Business Journal
Go to the Full Story…