Quote of the day
"The fund really helped my family. We really didn't have anything to speak of, and it wasn't a lot of money, but it helped me and my family get back on our feet."
Frank Waitzmann, injured Missouri press operator and painter, regarding the state's Second Injury Fund, which faces potential insolvency next year
Shoulder Injury Doesn’t Stop Her from Rocking Out in Europe
Four New York City Transit Authority employees—two bus drivers, a subway train operator and a subway car inspector—face charges of workers’ compensation fraud for allegedly claiming nonexistent or grossly exaggerated injuries. Investigators allegedly found one of the defendant bus drivers, who claimed that she had a shoulder injury, energetically playing the drums during her rock band’s European tour.
Go to the full story by William Neuman, New York Times
Go to the full story in WABC-TV (New York) [With Video]
Misclassification on the Rise, Advocates Tell House Panel
A growing number of larger companies incorrectly label some employees “independent contractors” in order to save on payroll costs including unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, health benefits, and Social Security taxes, according to employee advocates at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing. By Sarah Johnnson, CFO.com
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Editorial: BrickStreet Saga the Same Old Story to Taxpayers
BrickStreet Mutual officials are trying to spin the revelation that it may have misspent as much as $3.5 million in public funds for hospitality expenses as incorrect billing and an underestimation of the costs required take the once-public system private. West Virginians should not be surprised at the mismanagement, and officials should immediately target the full $35 million appropriation.
Go to the full editorial in the Beckley Register-Herald
Go to the full editorial in the Wheeling Intelligencer
Vermont Lawmakers Approve Sick Building Fund Bill
The Vermont Legislature approves a bill that covers employees of Vermont’s Bennington state office complex who became ill with sarcoidosis, a rare disease of unknown origin characterized by inflammation in one or more organs. The bill originated in the state Senate last year after officials became aware that at least six current or former employees had been diagnosed. By Neal Goswami, Bennington Banner
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Who Is Responsible for Missouri’s Second Injury Fund Fiasco?
Missouri’s Second Injury Fund, which injured workers have been able to count on to ease medical bill pressures in difficult times, now faces its own crunch in the wake of a state audit that found that it’s on the brink of insolvency. Several factors explain the fund’s problems, but whose fault is it? By Derek Kravitz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Employers’ Dilemma: To Test or Not to Test
Drug users are almost four times as likely to be involved in a workplace accident as sober workers and five times as likely to file a workers’ compensation claim, according to government data. It’s no wonder more employers are turning to relatively inexpensive drug tests, although many business owners avoid giving drug tests altogether out of privacy or trust concerns. By Dalia Fahmy, New York Times
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Thailand: Focus on Compensation, Rehab, Rather Than Safety
On Thailand’s national Work Safety Day, a law professor contends that society has become more accustomed to claiming workers’ compensation than taking proper workplace safety precautions in the first place. By Penchan Charoensuthipan, Bangkok Post
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