Quote of the day
"Anything he wants, I'll jump."
Mike Utley, a quadriplegic former professional football player, about Kevin Everett, who suffered a catastrophic spinal injury in a game last week
New Granite State Rules Punish Workers’ Comp Misrepresentation
New Hampshire contractors and subcontractors that fail to provide accurate information about their workers’ compensation coverage could face a five-year ban on eligibility to bid on state projects. Although fines for violations are not new, it marks the first time the state has threatened to take away all future state contracts. By Bob Sanders, New Hampshire Business Review
Go to the Full Story…
Hawaii Employers May Say Aloha to Another Double-Digit Rate Cut
Moving to reduce the most significant component of workers’ compensation premiums, the National Council on Compensation Insurance requests a 16.8 percent decrease in workers’ comp loss costs for Hawaii. The proposed drop, which would take effect January 1, 2008 if the state approves it, follows loss-cost decreases of 18.2 percent and 12.3 percent over the past two years.
Go to the full story in the Pacific Business Journal (Honolulu)
Go to the full story in the Honolulu Advertiser
Injured Pro Joins ‘Spinal-Cord Fraternity’
Kevin Everett, the National Football League player who was catastrophically injured last week in a game, joins a small fraternity of NFL players who have also suffered severe spinal-cord injuries and now will embrace him as a brother. By John Helyar, ESPN [With Photos, Video] Go to the Full Story…
Officials Look into Billing Practices of Queen City Psychiatrist
State agents seize a Cincinnati psychiatrist’s records in their investigation into whether he improperly billed workers’ compensation patients for nonexistent services or the state for treatments unrelated to workers’ comp claims. Elsewhere in the Buckeye State, the seventh year of the “Workers’ Compensation University” program gets underway. By Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer
Go to the Full Story…
Pa. County Controller: Not Our Job to Verify Workers’ Comp Bills
A former Lackawanna County, Pa., vendor that is under investigation by the FBI for alleged overbilling of services in connection with administering the county’s workers’ compensation fund operated with little oversight by the county controller’s office, which contends that the job of ensuring the legitimacy of claims and costs belongs to the workers’ comp fund administrator. By Borys Krawczeniuk, Scranton Times-Tribune
Go to the Full Story…
Q&A Covers Cash Drop-Off
Question: I am required to carry cash to another location and drop it off. If something were to happen to me during the time after I clock out and before I’ve dropped off the money, would I be covered by workers’ compensation? By Harry Wessel, Orlando Sentinel
Go to the Full Story…
Lone Star Groups Seek Ban on Pepper Spray in Youth Lockups
Two advocacy groups ask a court to stop the Texas Youth Commission from allowing guards to use pepper spray to subdue unruly juvenile prisoners. TYC officials contend that use of pepper spray before other forceful restraints reduces injuries to staff and inmates and cuts workers’ compensation claims. By AP via KLTV (Tyler, Texas)
Go to the Full Story…