News Digest 6/10/2008

By: Rick Waldinger

Quote of the day

"The [Oklahoma] Legislature, in the past few years, has tried to streamline civil cases and workers' comp cases. I believe that lawyers are also evaluating the overall costs of filing a case. I believe the result is better-quality cases when they are filed.''

Chief Justice James Winchester of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which has seen a 49 percent decline in its review of workers' comp cases since 1999

Go to the full story in Tulsa World

Blogworld: Peach State’s Workers’ Comp Tiff
The current proxy battle between the Home Builders Association of Georgia and the builders who sit on the board of the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurer pits builder against builder, and it could create a long-term rift in the state’s usually harmonious home-construction industry. By Damon Cline, Augusta Chronicle
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Sooner State High Court Sees Caseload Decline
The number of appeals and court actions at the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which directly hears all civil appeals, workers’ compensation reviews and tax levy protests, have declined significantly in eight years because of legislative reforms and mediated lawsuits, say court officials. In particular, the court shows a 49 percent decline in its review of workers’ comp cases submitted since 1999. By Omer Gillham, Tulsa World
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New York Governor Submits Nomination for WCB Commissioner
New York Gov. David Paterson sends to the state Senate the nomination of Mark Higgins for the New York state Workers’ Compensation Board. Business First of Buffalo
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Illinois Mayor Receives Fourth Workers’ Comp Check
A work-related fall down stairs means that Cahokia, Ill., Mayor Frank Bergman is receiving the fourth check from the village check for more than $20,000. The mayor, who is paid a salary of $40,000, has received payouts totaling more than $145,000 since making his first workers’ compensation claim. By Beth Hunsdorfer and George Pawlaczyk, Belleville News-Democrat [with photo] Go to the Full Story…

Utah WCB: Safety Keeps Employers in Business
More Utah companies, from oil and gas exploration firms to candy makers, are recognizing that employee safety programs benefit the bottom line, says the vice president of safety at the Workers’ Compensation Fund of Utah, which insures approximately 60 percent of the businesses in Utah. By Steven Oberbeck, Salt Lake Tribune [with photo] Go to the Full Story…

NIOSH Study Finds Alaska Has Highest Per Capital Job Deaths
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s recent study showed that 44 people died on the job in Alaska in 2006, the nation’s highest number of per capita work-related fatalities, and a significant increase over 2005 when the state had only 29 fatalities. By Carly Horton, Alaska Journal [with photo] Go to the Full Story…