News Digest 9-3-2019

Quote of the day

“It’s masking the problem of attorney fees in the system.”

Bill Herrle, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business in Florida

Florida Politics

 

 

Florida businesses could see rate decrease

The National Council on Compensation Insurance has filed a proposal with Florida regulators that would lead to an average 5.4 percent workers’ compensation rate decrease for employers, effective January 1. The decrease is based on a variety of issues, including declining frequency of workplace accidents. Florida Politics

 

Ohio BWC drops Mellon from midcap equities

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, which oversees the money management of $26.4 billion in insurance funds, has terminated Mellon Investments from the $134 million active domestic midcap core equity portfolio it manages for the State Insurance Fund, due to the departure of the strategy’s lead portfolio manager and for underperformance, according to an agency spokesman. Pensions & Investments

 

Massachusetts man indicted for fraud while running employment agencies

A 44-year-old Worcester, Massachusetts man who is already facing federal fraud charges related to his involvement with employment agencies, which primarily paid employees in cash and failed to report or pay taxes on the wages, has been indicted on additional charges for wire fraud and failing to pay taxes. Prosecutors say his firm disseminated forged certificates of insurance to clients and failed to inform them when its workers’ compensation policy was cancelled. Worcester Business Journal

 

Former Illinois school district employee alleges work comp, whistleblower violations

A former Belleville, Illinois school district employee has filed a lawsuit alleging he was immediately threatened with the loss of his job after announcing he would be making a workers’ compensation claim, and subsequently fired. Madison – St. Clair Record

 

Fight continues for Arizona firefighters seeking workers’ comp

An Arizona fireman who has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, one of the presumptive cancers covered by state workers’ compensation law, is one of nine firefighters across the state who are appealing claim denials to the Arizona Industrial Commission. ABC15 Arizona [with video]