Quote of the day
“Today’s ruling is an important win for the business community. The legislation was carefully crafted to ensure the retroactivity of this key provision. Had the court ruled differently, Kentucky businesses would have seen increased costs.”
Kentucky Chamber Sr. Vice President of Public Affairs Ashli Watts
New Hampshire workers’ comp rates declining
Workers’ compensation rates for employers are declining for the eighth year in a row, according to the New Hampshire Insurance Department, following its approval of a National Council on Compensation Insurance proposal that will reduce voluntary loss costs by 9.6 percent. The new rates will apply to policies starting January 1, 2020. WCAX (Burlington, Vt.)
The financial power of a Colorado hospital system
Local politics matter just as much, if not more, to the hospital industry than what’s going on at the federal level: The University of Colorado Health holds one of the highest profit margins in the country, and the state is a lucrative market. Its facilities have some of the highest rates in the state for workers’ comp claims, and the state recently enhanced its payments for some of those claims. Axios
University of Missouri seeks new appeal in grad workers case
The University of Missouri will try a direct appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court to block a court ruling that graduate assistants are employees who are entitled to join a union and force the university into collective bargaining. The appeals court found that the university treats graduate assistants like employees in several ways, including being eligible for workers compensation. Boonville Daily News
Kentucky justices rule on retroactivity of changes to workers’ comp law
The Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that legislative changes to state workers’ compensation law that terminate income replacement benefits when an employee reaches 70 years old, or four years after the injury or last exposure, should be applied retroactively from when the 2018 law took effect. Previously the court had found the termination of the income replacement statute to be unconstitutional because it was based on social security eligibility. Lane Report
Illinois electrical worker sues for wrongful termination
A former employee of a downstate Illinois electrical contractor alleges he was fired after making a workers’ compensation claim related to leg and ankle injuries. Madison – St. Clair Record