Quote of the day
"Very honestly, in 2001 we did not expect this level."
Dr. Benjamin Luft, chief of the Long Island World Trade Center Monitoring and Treatment Program, about the number of Sept. 11 first responders and workers who are ill and seeking aid.
More Sept. 11 Responders Seek Workers’ Comp Than Expected
Six years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the number of first responders and workers who are seeking monitoring and medical treatment continues to rise, a trend that surprises medical professionals. But New York’s recent workers’ compensation reforms, workers report getting turned down for benefits, and the state Compensation Board says the rate of denial for World Trade Center-related claims is 76 percent higher than that for other claims, and rising. By Ridgeley Ochs, Newsday [With Multimedia and Photos] Go to the Full Story…
Pennsylvania Workers’ Comp Firm’s Boss Has Criminal History
The boss of a company which, until it was fired last week after revelations of an FBI investigation into over-billing by its subcontractor, administered Lackawanna County, Pa.’s workers’ compensation claims, has a nearly two-decade criminal record that includes assaulting women and a deputy sheriff, fleeing from police, and serving jail time. By Borys Krawczeniuk and David Singleton, Scranton Times-Tribune
Go to the Full Story…
Airline Forced Flight Attendant to Work with Her Alleged Attacker
Testimony reveals that a Qantas flight attendant was forced to continue working with a pilot she accused of raping her during an overnight stop. The airline is fighting a decision to award the flight attendant nearly $6,000 USD in workers’ compensation for emotional trauma that was aggravated by continually being exposed in the workplace to her alleged attacker, who reportedly confirmed the attendant’s claims. By Paula Doneman, Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Go to the Full Story…
Spitzer’s Executive Order Targets Worker Misclassification
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announces the creation of an interagency task force to target companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors to evade wage and tax laws. State agencies now must share information with other departments, including the New York Workers’ Compensation board, when they find misclassification. By Steven Greenhouse, New York Times
Go to the Full Story…
Editorial: No Free Lunch
Although it appears that West Virginia may be able to fund $3 billion in old workers’ compensation obligations by 2016, for the sake of future political behavior it is important to acknowledge what it took to fill that “yawning sinkhole.” Charleston Daily Mail
Go to the Full Story…
School Custodian Can Collect Benefits, Rules S.D. High Court
A South Dakotan who suffered three back injuries while working for the Rapid City School District can collect workers’ compensation benefits for total and permanent disability, the South Dakota Supreme Court rules, overturning a state labor department conclusion that the worker had not made a reasonable search for other jobs. According to court documents, the district twice tried to shift him to work as a classroom instructional assistant, but he could not read or write at a sufficient level. By Chet Brokaw, Press & Dakotan (Yankton, S.D.)
Go to the Full Story…