Quote of the day
"Instead of wasting time in finger-pointing, time should be devoted to figuring out how to get people the benefits, the help and the assistance they need."
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, about former EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman's assertions that responsibility for providing masks to workers on the World Trade Center debris pile lay with the city
Giuliani Fears His Own Health May Have Been Affected After Attacks
Along with thousands of others who were worked near smoldering Ground Zero after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says his health also may have been affected from exposure to toxic smoke. By Karen Matthews, AP via Washington Post
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NCCI Requests 12.3 Percent Cut in Hawaii
The National Council on Compensation Insurance files a request for a 12.3 percent decrease in Hawaii workers’ compensation loss costs, and the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs notes the request with approval. In a 2003 study, only California and Florida employers paid higher workers’ comp premiums. Pacific Business News (Honolulu)
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A.M. Best Places Majestic Insurance Company Under Review with Negative Implications
Ratings bureau A.M. Best Co. on Sept. 11, 2006 placed the financial strength rating of B++ (Very Good) of Majestic Insurance Company of San Francisco under review with negative implications. Workers’ Comp Executive
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Ohio BWC to Hire New Auditor; Noe Goes Down for Two and Change
The Ohio State Auditor will replace the state Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s auditing agency that was fired in May for holding back its opinion of the bureau’s finances because of ongoing criminal investigations. Meanwhile, a federal judge sentences Tom Noe, who also is charged with stealing at least $1 million from the $50 million rare coin investment that he managed for the bureau, to more than two years in prison for illegally funneling $45,000 to the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign.
Go to the full story by John McCarthy, AP via Akron Beacon Journal
Go to the full story in the Toledo Blade
Meals, Gifts from Vendors to BWC Officials Scrutinized
Authorities question the former chief investment officer of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation about meals he allegedly received from a Chicago broker. Investigators are looking at meals and gifts given to officials at the bureau and Ohio’s pension funds by vendors doing business with those agencies. By AP via WHIO-TV (Dayton)
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Mesothelioma Widow Sues 40 Defendants
An Arizona woman who lost her husband—a former electrician’s mate, naval instructor and salesman—to mesothelioma files an asbestos lawsuit in Illinois’ notorious plaintiff-friendly Madison County Circuit Court, alleging that her husband’s disease was caused by the negligence of 40 defendant corporations. By Steve Gonzalez, Madison – St. Clair Record
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Nix Third Parties, Cut Comp Costs: Study
Getting rid of third parties when handling workers’ compensation cases can reduce missed workdays and lower health costs, according to a study recetly published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine analyzed how management by a specialized statewide network affected the care and outcomes of Louisiana workers’ compensation claims. By Katherine Torres, Occupational Hazards
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West Virginia Builders, Lawmakers Decry Rate Hikes
A switch July 1 to workers’ compensation ratings by the National Council on Compensation Insurance reportedly resulted in lower premiums for 74 percent of West Virginia employers, but building contractors say they have experienced premium increases and without warning. Some lawmakers say that’s hurting business in the Mountain State. By Phil Kabler, West Virginia Gazette
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