Quote of the day
"The system needs reform now before it becomes chaos."
Steve Sviggum, Minnesota Commissioner of Labor and Industry, about the state's workers' comp system
Note to our subscribers: The Workers’ Comp Executive will not publish a news digest on Monday, Sept. 1, in observance of Labor Day.
Is ‘Chaos’ Looming in North Star State?
As four committees investigate possibilities that might bring the cost of workers’ compensation cases down without hurting injured workers or employers, and improve the speed and efficiency of the system, Steve Sviggum, Minnesota’s Commissioner of Labor and Industry, tours the state touting the need for reform. By Kari Lucin, Worthington Daily Globe
Go to the Full Story…
Q&A: Self-Employed Consultant Asks the ‘Biz Brain’
Question: I am a business consultant who works hourly in a low-risk environment and submits my hours to an LLC, which bills the client and then pays me in turn. The LLC has asked me to pick up my own policy for workers’ compensation insurance, which I believe has no possible benefit to me if I were to be injured at the workplace. Could you please advise me on a self-employed person having to carry their own workers’ comp insurance? Newark Star-Ledger
Go to the Full Story…
Connecticut Man Nabbed for Working While Collecting Benefits
A former Waterford Public Works Department employee is arrested for allegedly working two jobs while collecting workers’ compensation benefits. The Day (New London, Conn.)
Go to the Full Story…
New Commissioner of Texas Workers’ Comp Division Named
Texas Gov. Rick Perry names Rod Bordelon of Austin the commissioner of the Workers’ Compensation Division at the Texas Department of Insurance. By Kate Alexander, Austin American-Statesman
Go to the Full Story…
Illinois Suit Claims Retaliatory Discharge
An Illinois man files a lawsuit against a steel products company, claiming that it illegally discharged him from employment after he was hurt on the job and applied for workers’ compensation benefits. By Kelly Holleran, Madison St. Clair Record
Go to the Full Story…
New Fund for England Asbestos Victims
In England, a new compensation fund for people who have contracted asbestos cancer indirectly will soon be on hand to help sufferers. The fighting fund is aimed at those who were either exposed to asbestos through a relative or those affected because they lived near a factory which used asbestos. North West Evening Mail
Go to the Full Story…
Maryland Regulators Approve NCCI Request
The Maryland Insurance Administration approves a request to decrease by 5.4% the voluntary market workers’ compensation loss costs in Maryland, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. The change takes effect Jan. 1, 2009. IFAwebnews.com
Go to the Full Story…
New Mandatory Coverage for Manitoba Ag Sector
Following the recommendations of the provincial Workers Compensation Board in a report released in June, the province will extend mandatory WCB coverage to an additional 7,500 employers and 30,000 workers on Manitoba farms and in farm-related industries, starting Jan. 1, 2009.
Go to the full story in Canadian Cattlemen
Go to the full story by Rob Nay, Winnipeg Sun [with photo]
No Collecting Interest on Benefits in Hoosier State
Indiana law does not allow collecting interest on worker’s compensation benefits, including past-due medical bills, the Indiana Supreme Court rules, upholding a 2006 decision by the Indiana Workers’ Compensation Board. The board had denied a request by a dentist who wanted to charge interest on past-due medical bills incurred by treating a patient who received benefits from a county hospital. By Jennifer Mehalik, Indianapolis Business Journal
Go to the Full Story…
Florida’s Rates Slide for Sixth Straight Year
Before the 2003 workers’ compensation reform law, Florida consistently had some of the highest workers’ compensation insurance rates in the country. Now, it’s out of the Top 10, according to the state Office of Insurance Regulation. By Julie Patel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Go to the Full Story…