Quote of the day
"Our members feel they are being methodically pressured ... to under-treat and mistreat."
Dr. Robert McLellan, president of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
North Bay’s Pomo Indians Receive $220K Refund
The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians receives $220,831 in dividends from its workers’ compensation carrier and will use the money to offset health insurance premium hikes for employees with dependents. By D. Ashley Verrill, North Bay Business Journal (Santa Rosa)
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Connecticut Workers’ Comp Commissioners: Goldbrickers?
Sounds like good work if you can get it: in a telephone survey conducted on three nonconsecutive Fridays in March and April, nearly all of the 12 commissioners assigned to the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission’s six regional offices reportedly had bolted for the day by 1:30 p.m. The “trial” commissioners are paid between about $141,000 and $146,000 annually. By Don Michak, Hartford Business Journal
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A.M. Best Reaffirms LWCC’s Rating
A.M. Best reaffirms the “A” (Excellent) rating of Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corp., the state’s largest writer of workers’ compensation insurance, for 2008. LWCC covers about 22,000 policyholders. WBRZ-TV (Baton Rouge)
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ACOEM: Pressure to Downplay Injuries a ‘Grave Medical Concern’
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine members plans to ask Fed-OSHA to more stringently investigate the accuracy of employer injury logs, in addition to testifying before Congress, about what they say is methodical pressure from employers to downplay worker injuries. By Ames Alexander, Belleville News-Democrat
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TMI Breaks Ground on New Lubbock Regional HQ
Austin-based Texas Mutual Insurance Co., the Lone Star State’s largest workers’ compensation insurance company, is building a new 29,000-square-foot regional headquarters in Lubbock. Last year, the company wrote a record $760.5 million in premiums and provided coverage and returned a record $138 million in dividends to its qualified policyholders. By Chris Van Wagenen, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal [with photos] Go to the Full Story…
CRM Holdings Reacts to New York WCB, Attorney General Inquiries
CRM Holdings Ltd. announces that it is “disappointed” by the recent inquiries from the Worker’s Compensation Board and New York State Attorney General’s office related to CRM’s administration of third-party claims administrative services to self-insured workers’ compensation groups in New York. By Christie Rizk, Thomson Financial News via Forbes
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Workplace Bullying Comes with a Cost
A recent survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute found that 37 percent of American workers have been bullied at work. Bullied workers were more likely to quit their jobs, have reduced mental and physical health, and have decreased satisfaction with their jobs. But experts say there are some steps bullied workers can take, even if the bully is a supervisor. By Tracy Swartz, Chicago Tribune
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Former Steelworker Alleges Retaliatory Dismissal
A former Omaha steel foundry worker sues the company under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, saying it fired him after he was disabled in a workplace accident. The lawsuit contends that the workers’ compensation doctor placed the injured worker on light duty restrictions following the injury, but that he was assigned to lifting duties three months later. By AP via NTV (Kearney)
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