Quote of the day
"Hasn't this been court-changed rather than changed by the [Missouri] Legislature?"
Cole County, Mo. Senior Judge Byron Kinder, allowing arguments to proceed in labor groups' challenge to the state's recent workers' comp reform, about concerns that courts have gradually expanded the number of people who qualify for compensation beyond the law's original intent
Widow of Cop Suicide Entitled to Death Benefits
After a decade-long dispute, the widow of a former Loveland, Colo. police captain is entitled to death benefits, as opposed to medical impairment benefits, from the city in connection with her husband’s job-related suicide, the Colorado Court of Appeals rules. Her attorney says the ruling may set a workers’ comp precedent. By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News
Go to the Full Story…
Show Me State Judge Greenlights Reform Roadblock
A court challenge to an overhaul of Missouri’s workers’ compensation system is likely to move forward, a Jefferson City judge indicates. But he said he would not grant labor groups’ request to just throw out the law, which generally makes it more difficult to prove that injuries are work-related. By Kelly Wiese, Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat
Go to the Full Story…
West Virginia Employees Pay the Price for Administrative Blunders
Hundreds of West Virginia employers failed to square their bills for mandatory workers’ compensation coverage with the state’s old Workers’ Compensation Commission or made administrative errors that left employees who filed for benefits with BrickStreet Mutual, the state’s new private workers’ comp insurer, out in the proverbial cold. By Steve Korris, West Virginia Record, [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Palmetto State Comp Commissioner Uncontested in Judgeship Race
J. Michelle Childs, a South Carolina workers’ compensation commissioner, will fill an at-large circuit court seat formerly held by the current U.S. attorney for South Carolina. The State
Go to the Full Story…
Convicted New York Fraudster Gets One Year in Lockup
A 27-year-old Watkins Glen, N.Y. man is sentenced to one year in jail for failing to report that he and his wife received more than $18,000 in workers’ compensation benefits while they were receiving public welfare assistance. But he doesn’t have to pay restitution. By Jennifer Kingsley, Star-Gazette (Elmira – Corning, N.Y.)
Go to the Full Story…
Hoosier State High Court: Attack by Co-Worker Triggers Benefits
An Indiana employee who, while clocking out of his shift, was attacked by a 470-pound co-worker is eligible for more than $78,000 in workers’ compensation benefits, the Indiana Supreme Court rules, rejecting the employer’s claim that the incident was mere horseplay. By Richard D. Walton, Indianapolis Star
Go to the Full Story…
Australian Mine Won’t Have to Pony Up Paltry Death Benefits
The family of the Tasmanian miner killed in the recent Beaconsfield Mine rockfall, from which two miners escaped after two weeks underground, will receive a lump sum workers compensation payment of just $148,000—but not from the mine owner’s pocket. The amount reportedly is less than one-tenth what the survivors will receive for appearing on television. News.com.au [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Citing Jury Concerns, Indicted Coin Dealer Seeks Venue
Ohio coin dealer and former GOP fundraiser Tom Noe wants his trial on 53 counts of theft, forgery, and racketeering involving his so-called management of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s rare coin fund moved to a different county. Noe’s lawyers say finding an impartial jury in Lucas County, where Noe once served as the chairman of the Republican Party, would be impossible. Toledo Blade
Go to the Full Story…
Australian Chamber Disappointed in Harmonization Talks Breakdown
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry expresses disappointment with the failure by state and territory governments to agree with the federal government on a “work plan” to examine national consistency in key areas of workers’ compensation, including self insurance arrangements. Australian Bus and Coach
Go to the Full Story…