Quote of the day
"I almost lost my life on duty. This isn't some fraudulent case."
California Highway Patrol officer Gary Hoag, whose legs were crushed by a passing vehicle while trying to aid other motorists who had been in an accident. Post-workers' comp reform, Hoag says he has faced an uphill battle to receive physical therapy and medical care for his injuries.
Reform Treating Some Better Than Others
The disparity between workers’ compensation insurance premiums and payouts to injured workers has resulted in record profits to insurers, and the situation has drawn the attention of lawmakers: California Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata has introduced a bill to double the benefits employees receive if they are permanently disabled, while Assemblyman Joe Coto is seeking to extend temporary disability benefits to three years. By Dean Calbreath, San Diego Union-Tribune [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Ventura Co. Smelter Was a Workers’ Comp ‘Nightmare’
“It was just a really dangerous place to work,” says one former worker who is on disability for neck injuries, about now-shuttered magnesium and aluminum recycling plant Halaco Engineering in Ventura County. Many employees were more worried about injuries than exposure to toxic chemicals; Cal/OSHA cited the company at least six times since 1990. By Scott Hadly, Ventura County Star [With Photos] Go to the Full Story…
NIOSH: Special Status for Some Nuke Workers Could Hurt Others
Cold War-era nuclear weapons workers, including those at Colorado’s Rocky Flats, who are stricken with one of 22 radiation related-cancers may get automatic financial and medical compensation—but an official with the compensation program for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health says it will come at a cost to other workers, including those who have other types of cancer. By Laura Frank, Rocky Mountain News
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Show Me State’s Reform Riles Worker Advocates
In Missouri, where the state legislature in 2005 enacted Gov. Matt Blunt’s workers’ compensation reform in order to create a more business-friendly environment, seems to have achieved its intended purpose: employers’ rates are down and insurers are paying substantially less to claimants. But labor leaders contend the law unfairly takes away a legal bias in favor of workers when facts are disputed. By Rudi Keller, Southeast Missourian
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Workers’ Comp Rates Slide in Louisiana
In Louisiana, where most workers’ comp carriers use the National Council on Compensation Insurance annual loss cost filing report to help formulate their insurance rates, workers’ comp rates are decreasing, according to Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon. New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Wyoming Employers Take Advantage of Drug-Free Discount
Just a few months old, Wyoming’s Workers’ Compensation Drug and Alcohol Testing Discount Program’s 5-percent discount on workers’ compensation premiums seems to be working. Some employers say the benefits of a drug-free workplace are even more valuable than the discount. By Jamie Matson, Gillette News-Record
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Budget ‘Held Hostage’ in South Carolina
South Carolina legislators are scheduled to adjourn for the year in just a few days, and they have not yet approved the state’s $7.4 billion budget. Two weeks ago, negotiations over the House and Senate’s separate spending plans stalled as House leaders waited for both chambers to agree on how to reform workers’ compensation and the state’s transportation department. By Seanna Adcox, Myrtle Beach Sun
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