Quote of the day
"We still need a way to figure out an impairment rating, but I think they will seek a way to provide coverage without a permanent partial impairment rating for now." Wyoming Sen. John Hastert, D-Green River, sponsor of a bill that would extend coverage of work-related mental injuries
Mental Injury Coverage Bill Advances in Cowboy State
Legislation aimed at extending coverage of job-related mental injuries under Wyoming’s workers’ compensation program will move forward in a legislative committee. A major concern has been to clarify that diagnosis of mental injuries is done by licensed mental health professionals and according to the industry’s standards. By Dustin Bleizeffer, Jackson Hole Star Tribune
Go to the Full Story…
Lone Star Capital Takes Action as Heat-Related Claims Soar
City of Austin workers are facing brutal heat conditions this summer, and in return, the self-insured Texas capital is fielding more workers’ compensation claims. Eighteen city employees have filed workers’ comp claims from heat-related illnesses, from police and fire to solid waste and energy workers. By Steve Alberts, KVUE-TV [with video] Go to the Full Story…
Nebraska Judges Order Employer to Pay Illegal Worker’s Claim
A three-judge review panel of the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court affirms a 2007 ruling ordering an Omaha company to pay medical bills and lost wages to an illegal immigrant landscaper who was injured when a bucket fell off a skid loader onto his foot.
Go to the full story by Cindy Gonzalez, Omaha World-Herald
Go to the full story by Jean Ortiz, Beatrice Daily Sun
Go to the full story by Jean Ortiz, Fremont Tribune
Go to the full story by AP via KPTM-TV (Omaha)
Wyoming Court Awards Widow Death Benefits
The widow of a sugar company worker who was paralyzed by a workplace injury and later died of pneumonia can collect workers’ compensation death benefits, the Wyoming Supreme Court rules.
Go to the full story by Joan Barron, Jackson Hole Star-Tribune
Go to the full story by AP via CBS4 (Denver)
Bay State Couple Cleared of Fraud Charges
A jury finds a Sutton, Mass., couple not guilty workers’ compensation fraud charges that they improperly tried to avoid higher workers’ comp premiums. The attorney general’s office had alleged that the couple represented their company as primarily engaged in snowplowing, equipment deliveries, street-patching, trucking and excavation work, when it was basically a demolition company. By Gary V. Murray, Worcester Telegram
Go to the Full Story…
BrickStreet Announces $60M Payment on State Loan
BrickStreet Mutual, which received $200 million in 2006 to help underwrite its initial startup costs, and was given 10 years to repay the debt, says that it has made an extra $60 million payment. Charleston Daily Mail
Go to the Full Story…
West Virginia Clarifies Timely Report of Injury Rule
In a new rule change, a West Virginia workers’ comp claimant’s failure to report the injury within two working days cannot be the sole reason for self-insured employers and private carriers to deny compensation. The failure can be one factor weighing against compensability, but there must be another substantial reason to deny, according to a summary of a recent webinar by state insurance regulators. OH&S
Go to the Full Story…
NCCI: Claim Frequency Falls Again
Workers’ compensation claim frequency continued to decline during 2007, although at a slower rate than during the previous two years, NCCI Holdings Inc. reports. By Roberto Ceniceros, Business Insurance
Go to the Full Story…
Lawsuit: Supermarket Chain Was Negligent in Treatment of Independent Drivers
In Florida, a former truck driver is suing a grocery chain for $10 million after a loading dock accident leaves him mostly paralyzed. The lawsuit alleges that the chain provided proper safety equipment for its own drivers, but not for independent truck drivers. By Jackie Alexander, St. Petersburg Times via Lakeland Ledger [with photo] Go to the Full Story…