News Digest 5/2/2008

By: Rick Waldinger

Quote of the day

"This court has not seen such a lack of civility and simple common decency in quite a long time. The plaintiff was not being removed for incompetence, for violation of rules or a breach of trust. She was being removed from a 12-year career because of a perceived medical condition."

Judge Michael Orfield, in a tentative ruling awarding $628,000 to a former Oceanside police officer

Go to the full story in the San Diego Union Tribune

Oceanside Officer Wins $628K for Disability Discrimination
A former Oceanside Police Department field evidence technician who was fired and sued the city for disability discrimination after it denied her workers’ compensation wins $628,000 in court. The officer’s Graves’ disease had been in remission for about a year when her symptoms reappeared after she worked the murder case of a fellow officer. By Matthew Rodriguez, San Diego Union-Tribune
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Texas Widow Seeks Review of Workers’ Comp Hearing
A woman who allegedly lost her husband in a work-related injury is seeking reversal of a Texas workers’ compensation panel hearing that denied her benefits. The insurance company’s doctor indicated that the worker died as the result of a sudden cardiac event and that his liver lacerations “were caused by incorrect resuscitation techniques.” By David Yates, Southeast Texas Record
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Commentary: Cure Worse Than the Disease in Manitoba?
When it comes to the Workers’ Compensation Board of Manitoba, plenty of businesses apparently believe that the cure could be worse than the illness. Currently, about 70 percent of the provincial workforce is included in the program, a total that significantly lags the national average, and there are concerns about the WCB’s expansion of coverage. By Martin Cash, Winnipeg Free Press
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How Technology and Training Can Cut Workers’ Comp Costs
With health care and insurance costs on the rise, businesses are turning to technology and training to cut accidents and lower premium rates. Beyond ergonomic desks, chairs and curved keyboards, companies also are adopting other inexpensive solutions. Baseline
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North Dakota Lawmakers Updated on Agency’s Review Office
North Dakota legislators hear an update on the state workers’ compensation agency’s Office of Independent Review, which was formed in 1995 and which gets about 400 requests a year. By AP via KXMB-TV (Bismarck)
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LSE: British Postal Service Effectively Cut Absenteeism
Big employers could dramatically cut absenteeism and save the British economy billions of dollars annually by copying the Royal Mail’s health experiment, according to the London School of Economics. The postal service cut sickness absence by a quarter over three years after putting clinics at the big sorting offices and mail centers, providing health screening and physiotherapy. By John Carvel, Guardian (U.K.)
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