Quote of the day
"I don't think anybody would bet so much as a five-dollar bill [that] the governor would change his mind."
Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Stephen Fortunato, Jr., about Gov. Donald Carcieri's invitation to meet with two Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. directors to discuss their terminations
San Diego County Supervisor Under Fire for Migrants’ Living Conditions on His Farm
Is San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn providing mandatory workers’ compensation insurance for his avocado farm employees? A local television station recently aired footage of immigrant farm workers living in a shanty attached to a mobile home with no toilet or septic tank, and defecating and urinating upstream from the avocado grove. KFMB-TV (San Diego) [With Video] Go to the Full Story…
Keystone State’s Average Claim Costs Grow Steadily
Average total costs per workers’ compensation claim showed steady growth, increasing more than 8 percent for claims evaluated in mid-2004 with 12 months’ maturity, according to a new report by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Massachusetts-based Workers Compensation Research Institute. The rate of growth in costs per claim in Pennsylvania was similar to the median growth rate of the 13 study states. Forbes
Go to the Full Story…
Pennsylvania City Agrees to Pay Part of Officer’s Funeral Bill
The Easton, Pa. city council ends 10 months of speculation by agreeing to pay $5,000 toward a fallen police officer’s funeral costs, some of which his workers’ compensation benefit already covered. His widow apparently will not accept the money personally. By Edward Sieger, Express-Times
Go to the Full Story…
Video Captures Woman Allegedly Cheating Workers’ Comp
A Columbus, Ohio woman is busted for allegedly working and performing physical activity while collecting disability from the state for neck and back injuries. Duarte Geraldino, NBC4 (Columbus) [With Video and Slideshow] Go to the Full Story…
New York Auto Shop Owner Charged with Comp Fraud
The 56-year-old owner of an auto repair shop in the Southern Tier area of New York faces charges of workers’ compensation fraud and offering a false instrument for filing. According to the New York State Insurance Fund, it’s the second arrest in two weeks for underreporting payroll in an attempt to pay an artificially low workers’ comp premium. Business First of Buffalo
Go to the Full Story…
Rhody Judge Blasts Gov for Attempting to Fire Beacon Board Members
A Rhode Island Superior Court judge bars Gov. Donald Carcieri from ousting two board members of Beacon Mutual Insurance Co., the state’s dominant workers’ compensation insurer and labels Carcieri’s invitation to the two men to discuss their termination with him “a sham” and a “kangaroo court.” By Lynn Arditi, Providence Journal
Go to the Full Story…
Florida Firm Acquires Marketer of Illinois Public Risk Fund
Daytona Beach- and Tampa-based Brown & Brown Inc. acquires Illinois’ Ideal Insurance Agency Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The agency is one of two exclusive marketing agents for the Illinois Public Risk Fund, the self-insured fund for workers’ compensation coverage for public entities in the Land of Lincoln. Orlando Business Journal
Go to the Full Story…
B.C. High Court Makes Injury Distinction in Asbestos Case
In a case involving a 75-year-old retired British Columbia millworker suffering from asbestos-related lung ailments, the B.C. Supreme Court rules that there is a difference between a recurrence and a deterioration of an injury under the province’s Workers’ Compensation Act. Canadian Employment Law Today
Go to the Full Story…