Quote of the day
"Homeowners need to recognize that an unlicensed contractor becomes your employee. You are gambling if you are hiring unlicensed workers."
Kevin Lancaster, San Francisco attorney
New Commissioner Faces Comp Battle
California voters this fall will elect the fifth insurance commissioner since 1988, when the post became an elected office. The commissioner will have to deal with the debate between Democratic legislators, unions and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over modifying the overhaul of the workers’ compensation system. The changes have saved employers at least $8.1 billion since 2002, according to a study commissioned by the state Department of Industrial Relations. By Jennifer Oldham, Los Angeles Times
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Electrocution Spotlights Risks of Hiring Unlicensed Workers
The family of a Mexican national who was electrocuted in 2002 while trimming trees in the backyard of a Ventura home is suing the homeowners for $1 million, contending they were negligent in hiring an unlicensed arborist to do work that required a license. By Raul Hernandez, Ventura County Star
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Washington L&I: We Pay Dead People
The Washington state Department of Labor and Industries paid more than $600,000 in pension benefits to dead or otherwise ineligible claimants in addition to losing more than $180,000 in equipment, an audit of the 2005 budget year shows. By Rachel LaCorte, AP via Seattle Times
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Administration Slashes Nuke Workers’ Comp Program
The Bush administration has proposed cutting in half a compensation program for Cold War nuclear weapons, who already have complained about the slow pace of the proceedings and problems in obtaining records from the employers to prove illnesses related to beryllium, radiation and other hazards. By Roger Snodgrass, Los Alamos Monitor
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Oregon Workplace Deaths at Record Low
The number of deaths of workers covered by the Oregon workers’ compensation system set a record low in 2005: 31 workers died on the job, the lowest number reported since the state began tracking the statistic. In 2004, the state experienced 46 deaths. Portland Business Journal
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Commentary: Michigan Workers’ Comp Commission Ignores the Law
While Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm touts her efforts to gain more business and jobs for Michigan, one branch of her administration, the Workers’ Compensation Appellate Commission, has issued a ruling effectively stating its intention to ignore the Michigan Supreme Court’s 2002 decision that an injured worker who can do a different job at comparable pay isn’t necessarily totally disabled. Detroit News
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Palmetto Comp Laws Likely to Remain Intact This Year
South Carolina lawmakers appear unlikely to overhaul the state’s workers’ compensation law this year due to uncertainty over whether proposed benefit reductions would reduce premium costs, but businesses can expect higher insurance bills. The S.C. Department of Insurance is supporting an insurance industry-backed 33-percent increase on the largest portion of the premium. By Jim DuPlessis, the State
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Worker Awarded $1.2 Million for Yankee Stadium Scaffold Fall
A 58-year-old construction supervisor who fell off a scaffold while repairing Yankee Stadium in 1998 wins $1.2 million in his suit against the team, New York City and his employer. However, the worker has pleaded guilty to violating workers’ compensation laws for working in a butcher shop while collecting disability benefits. By Chrisena Coleman, New York Daily News
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Fired Benefits Claimant Awarded Pre-Decision Interest
A divided New York Court of Appeals holds last week that a workers’ compensation claimant who was fired for seeking benefits is entitled to pre-decision interest on his back pay award. The ruling adds more than $35,000 to the award won by a former New York City Transit Authority bus mechanic and security guard who suffered knee injuries in both capacities. By John Caher, New York Law Journal via Law.com
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Upstate N.Y. Republicans Seek to Ease Small Biz Burden
In New Windsor, N.Y., New York Assemblyman Marc Butler, R-Newport, participates in the Assembly Republican Small Business Task Force forum, which focuses on fixing the workers’ compensation system and easing the tax burden on small businesses. Evening Telegram (Herkimer, N.Y.)
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