Quote of the day
"I am not entitled to any increase at all. I can't afford this. I can't afford living."
Frederick Curtis, an injured Rikers Island jail guard, regarding his workers' comp benefits that will not increase under the state's recently-enacted reforms
Five Busted in $100 Million Workers’ Comp Scam
State and federal authorities in Jacksonville, Fla., charge five people, including two Californians, in a $100 million workers’ compensation fraud scheme that left hundreds of workers across the country without urgent medical care and death benefits. “We found one victim homeless, living in her car, because of mounting medical bills and five families left with no death benefits after fatal accidents,” according to Florida’s chief financial officer Alex Sink.
Go to the full story by AP via St. Petersburg Times
Go to the full story by Jim Schoettler, Florida Times-Union (St. Petersburg)
Some Injured Workers Left Out of New York’s Overhaul
Injured New York workers are finding out the hard way that increased benefits they expected under the state’s celebrated workers’ compensation reforms apply only to those injured after July 1. Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s spokeswoman Jennifer Givner says making the changes retroactive was never the intention: “The workers’ compensation legislation represents reforms to the system moving forward.” By Rick Karlin, Albany Times Union
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Beer Run Not a Good Call for Sunshine State Worker
A 47-year-old former Clermont, Fla., city worker spied by investigators lugging a sofa and cases of beer while on medical leave must repay $78,000 that he received in workers’ compensation benefits for a purported back injury. The Florida League of Cities uncovered the alleged fraud via surveillance. By Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel
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South Dakota High Court Denies Worker’s Bad Faith Claim
A construction worker who was not allowed to collect workers’ compensation after a back injury she experienced on the job cannot sue an insurance company for bad faith, the South Dakota Supreme Court rules. According to the court, in workers compensation claims, “a bad-faith action must include a wrongful denial of benefits, not merely wrongful conduct.” Sioux Falls Argus Leader
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BP’s Can’t Buy Forgiveness of Blast Victims’ Daughter
The woman whose lawsuit forced BP to contribute at least $30 million to charitable foundations, including $5 million to an industrial safety program at a Texas college, says that the money cannot win her forgiveness. “I hate BP,” says Eva Rowe, whose parents perished, along with 13 others, in the March 2005 Texas City refinery explosion. By Harvey Rice, Houston Chronicle
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New York Innkeeper Charged with False Filings
The owner of an Upstate New York inn faces charges falsely claiming she had no employees and failing to carry workers’ compensation coverage. Press & Sun Bulletin (Binghamton, N.Y.)
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