Quote of the day
“Like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, West Virginia’s workers’ compensation insurance program has gone from monumental losses as a state-run agency to unfathomable success in the free market.”
Editorial
Exponent Telegram editorial: West Virginia workers’ comp on ‘firm ground’
At the time of its demise as a state agency in 2006, West Virginia’s workers’ compensation program had a $3 billion debt. Then it was privatized, the state paid off the debt early, and West Virginia businesses have seen huge drops in workers’ compensation premiums. Exponent Telegram
Pets cause nearly 400 workers’ comp claims a year in Oregon: SAIF
In Oregon, dogs and cats have accounted for more than 1,900 SAIF claims since 2014, the agency says. While veterinary services, pet care, and universities had the highest rate of injuries, SAIF data shows workers in healthcare also get injured by pets. KTVZ (Bend, Ore.)
Nursing assistant files suit against Amed Hospice claiming disability discrimination, retaliation
A certified nursing assistant has filed a lawsuit against Texas City, Texas hospice, alleging she was discriminated against and terminated due to an injury she suffered while traveling from one patient to another when her car was struck by another vehicle and she suffered neck and back injuries. The lawsuit alleges that when she explained to her employer she was not yet able to return to full duty, she was assigned an excessively heavy workload. Southeast Texas Record
Colorado contractor plans to settle discrimination lawsuit
A Denver-area commercial mechanical and plumbing contract company plans to pay $82,500 to settle a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by two former employees who allege the company created a hostile work environment for Latino employees, going back to at least 2014. Canon City Daily Record
Denver university investigates cancer diagnoses of employees
Metropolitan State University Denver is investigating whether cancer diagnoses of four employees are related to the building that houses the political science department. Although environmental testing of asbestos and leaded water have come back clean, the campus reportedly has a history with asbestos. Met Media