Quote of the day
“Giving out billion-dollar refunds each year at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is nice but it should prompt changes, even though the business community that is most affected generally is satisfied with the process.”
Toledo Blade editorial board
Blade editorial: Ohio BWC’s big reserves cause concern
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, which has $26.9 billion in assets, about $10.5 billion of which is not committed to ongoing claim payouts, is hanging on to money that rightly belongs to business owners, argues the Toledo Blade’s editorial board.
Embattled Chicago alderman accused of ethics violation
Chicago Ald. Edward Burke was accused Wednesday of violating the city’s ethics ordinance by presiding over workers’ compensation claims for members of eight labor unions his law firm represented. The complaint was filed by the son of a former longtime alderman who, until his death in late 2014, was a close friend and longtime ally of Burke. Chicago Sun-Times
Oklahoma: Compromise reached on workers’ comp bill
In Oklahoma, a bill that reopened debate about fair compensation for injured workers headed to the governor’s desk this week. A 2013 workers’ compensation reform initiative managed to rein in high business insurance premium costs, but some of its provisions were successfully challenged by opponents in court. Among specific changes included in the 187-page document is one addressing when the state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission might find that a person is eligible for compensation for permanent partial disability. Journal Record (Oklahoma City)
Highlights of Oklahoma workers’ comp bill
The Oklahoma Senate gave final approval Wednesday to legislation intended to preserve and strengthen landmark workers’ compensation reforms adopted in 2013. Here are highlights from House Bill 2367. KWON
Pennsylvania court rules against suspension of workers’ comp for incarcerated claimant
A Pennsylvania court has ruled that an employee should not have had his workers’ compensation benefits suspended for the period of time he spent in pretrial incarceration for an unspecified crime. Coca-Cola, the employer, argued that because the claimant was sentenced to time served after he pleaded guilty, the period he spent in jail before trial counts as incarceration after a conviction. Legal Intelligencer