Quote of the day
"Workers' compensation fraud has a serious negative impact on the system and on employers. I am committed to using all resources at my disposal to combat this problem."
California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, about the arrest of a former Soledad Correctional Training Facility officer for allegedly defrauding State Fund of nearly $70,000
Former Soledad Guard Busted for Workers’ Comp Fraud
Investigators arrest a 35-year-old former officer at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad on suspicion of insurance fraud: Steve Andrew Felter faces 13 felony counts in Amador County for allegedly defrauding the California State Compensation Insurance Fund of $67,000 through industrial disability, workers’ compensation and medical payments. Salinas Californian
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Sacramento FD Hoses Deputy Chief over Offensive E-Mails
Sacramento Metro Fire District Deputy Chief George Appel, a former American River Fire District workers’ compensation and disabilities program administrator, is fired after refusing to resign for allegedly exchanging sexually explicit, racist and homophobic e-mail with a colleague. By Andrew McIntosh, Sacramento Bee
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Nearly 300 NYC Employees Miss Sept. 11 Claims Deadline
About 290 New York City employees have filed workers’ compensation claims stemming from the World Trade Center attack since the two-year deadline for filing such claims passed, say city officials. But the new late claims are prompting calls for the state to extend the deadline because many claimants contend that the attack resulted in respiratory, digestive or psychiatric ailments that did not become apparent until years after the 2003 deadline.
Go to the full story by Sewell Chan, New York Times
Go to the full story by Frankie Edozien, New York Post
More Workers Added to Japan’s Asbestos Diseases Roll
Thirty-four employees of an Osaka, Japan machinery manufacturer are added to a list of workers who died of asbestos-related illnesses including mesothelioma and lung cancer. Twelve of the 34 died more than five years ago, making their families ineligible for workers compensation. Yomiuri Shimbun
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Oklahoma Commissioner Sees More Reforms on Horizon
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland has been rebuilding her department in the 16 months since her appointment to the office, and she says her immediate focus is on an insurance omnibus bill languishing in the state legislature. By Randall Turk, Norman Transcript
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Insurance Fraud Fuels Need for Private Eyes
A former investigator for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Air Force describes his job snooping workers’ compensation and other kinds of cheats in Tennessee. By Scott Shepard, Memphis Business Journal
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Ergonomics Key to Faster Return-to-Work Rates
Integrating ergonomics in the return-to-work process is essential to decrease the risk of injuries and helps injured workers to return to work without the fear of being re-injured, contends an occupational therapist. By Jason Baxter, Rehab Management
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Worker Sues Contractor in ‘Judicial Hellhole’
A construction worker who was injured on a job site at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is suing the project’s general contractor in Illinois’ notorious St. Clair County. The complaint does not specify the worker’s injuries, which he purportedly suffered after he fell from a walkway. By Ann Knef, Madison – St. Clair Record
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