Quote of the day
"The government that once lied to them about their work and exposure is now telling them the illness is not the result of that exposure. That's a huge problem."
Dr. Lewis Wade, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, about former nuclear workers who have applied to a Congressionally-authorized aid program for work-related cancers and other diseases
Compensation to Nuclear Workers Surges Beyond Expectations
Despite turning down 70 percent of those who apply to a Congressionally-authorized aid program for nuclear weapons workers who contracted job-related cancer, beryllium disease and other illnesses, billions of dollars are being spent on care and compensation, according to Dr. Lewis Wade of NIOSH. The program has paid 23,000 people nationally, more than seven times the original expectation. By Ann Imse, Rocky Mountain News
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Chicago Claims Manager Loses N.Y. Claimants Personal Info
More than 500,000 New Yorkers who have made claims to a special workers’ compensation fund have been notified that a Chicago-based claims management software firm has lost track of a computer containing their private data, including Social Security numbers. By John Riley, Newsday
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Former Redding Workers’ Comp Lawyer Gets Six Years for Child Porn
Former Redding workers’ compensation attorney Ronald Ollen Lyerla, 66, is sentenced to more than six years in prison for possessing “a large cache” of child pornography on two laptop computers. Repair technicians uncovered the images while removing viruses from the machines and notified their supervisor, who called police. By Henry K. Lee, San Francisco Chronicle
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Easing Workers’ Comp Costs Behind Simi Valley’s Balanced Budget
One reason for Simi Valley’s balanced budget is leveled-off of workers’ compensation costs, which are expected to be $800,000 less in 2006-2007 as a result of the state’s reforms and a decrease in costs related to retirement. By Kyle Jorrey, Simi Valley Acorn
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Canada Ironworkers Union Loses Whistleblower Case
In Canada, a Regina chapter of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers union must pay more than $175,000 in compensation to an office worker who was fired after she reported questionable travel expense claims. The union had appealed a lower court ruling on grounds that the employee had received workers’ compensation, before the Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench upheld the ruling last week. CBC News [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Ohio Gov Loses Battle to Shield BWC Coin Reports
The Ohio Supreme Court rules that most of the weekly reports that Gov. Bob Taft received from his top aides, which were related to unorthodox rare coin investments by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, constitute public records subject to public disclosure. Taft had tried to claim that the records were protected by the doctrine of executive privilege. By AP via Columbus Dispatch
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Navigating the Nebulous World of a Workers Comp Claim
Each year, millions of workers in the United States are injured on the job. Here’s what they should do and what they can expect from the system after they file a workers’ compensation claim. Smart Money via WPLG-TV (Miami)
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Drivers Fighting FedEx for Allegedly Misclassifying Them
A series of legal battles between FedEx workers and the company is part of a widespread trend in which companies misclassify workers as independent contractors in order to avoid contributing to Social Security, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation and health insurance. Misclassification of employees as independent contractors “makes [workers] responsible for a whole range of things that normally an employer should provide,” says Suren Moodliar, coordinator for the North American Alliance for Fair Employment. By Megan Tady, the New Standard
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