Quote of the day
"Schwarzenegger and leaders in the Legislature had success on workers' compensation by focusing on the big picture. Get the fundamental approach right and work out the details later."
San Jose Mercury News editorial.
Opinion: Workers’ Comp Reform a Model for California Health Care
California’s workers’ compensation system could stand improvement in several respects, but the governor and the state legislature did well in adopting a less subjective rating system for evaluating injuries, tightening eligibility for permanent disability payments and permitting injured workers to seek immediate, employer-funded medical attention. San Jose Mercury News
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Zenith National Director Reports Buying Shares
Michael Wm. Zavis, a national director of Woodland Hills-based Zenith National Insurance Corp., purchased 2,500 shares for $43 a piece, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. By AP via Yahoo! Finance
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Pomona Man Gets Two Years for Workers’ Comp Fraud
A 45-year-old Pomona faces a two-year state prison sentence after being found guilty of workers’ compensation insurance fraud for attempting to embezzle $100,000 from Hartford Casualty Insurance Co. for a purported back injury. By Wes Woods II, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario)
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China Pays ‘Comfort Money,’ Not Workers’ Comp, to Miners’ Families
China’s central government classifies a recent mine flood that killed more than 180 miners as a “natural disaster,” relieving authorities and mine owners from any obligation to pay workers’ compensation. State media says their families have each been paid a few hundred dollars in “comfort” money. ABC Radio Australia
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Wisconsin Sheriff Deputies in Limbo During Contract Arbitration
Pay scales and benefit levels have not changed for the Racine’s sheriff’s deputies since 2004 due to ongoing contract negotiations. A sheriff’s association is seeking a provision that would allow a deputy injured in the line of duty to continue to accrue seniority in order to receive insurance at a reduced rate after age 50. By Pete Wicklund, Journal Times (Racine, Wisc.)
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WCB Ruling Changes Status of ‘Independent’ Trucker in B.C.
A British Columbia Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal ruling throws into question the notion that the province’s truckers are independent “owner-operators” responsible for their own coverage because they own their rigs. The ruling is significant because it entitles a 62-year-old driver to substantially higher benefits for a hand injury he sustained in a fan belt pulley. By Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun
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South Carolina Employers Catch a Break—for Now
The South Carolina Department of Insurance denies a proposed increase in workers’ compensation premiums that will spare business owners from a second double-digit rate increase in 12 months, but it likely will not last long. By Peter Hull, Charleston Post and Courier
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Attorneys Promise Former Plant Workers a Payday
Doctors from Duke University and the University of North Carolina have been hired to work on behalf of plaintiff’s lawyers who are seeking a payout for former employees of a Rock Hill, S.C., synthetic fibers manufacturing plant for alleged chemical exposures. The lawyers say they plan to file 100 claims at a time to avoid overwhelming the state workers’ compensation commission. By Matt Garfield, Rock Hill Herald [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Louisiana Group Wants State to Follow Lead of California, Texas
Business-backed Louisianans for Workers’ Compensation Reform plans to seek legislation next year to revamp the state’s workers’ compensation system along the lines of recent reforms in Texas and California. The group wants a stricter and more consistent set of guidelines for how injured workers use medical provider networks. By AP via KATC-TV (Lafayette, La.)
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