News Digest 9/19/2008

By: Rick Waldinger

Quote of the day

"What we have found is if we deal with something when it's in chaos, then the pendulum overswings."

Michale Houliston, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, about possible changes to workers' compensation laws before it reaches stages of chaos

Go to the full story in the St. Peter Herald

Study: Kansans Benefits Lag Behind Cost of Living
Workers’ compensation payments to injured Kansans lag far behind the increasing cost of living, according to a new study. By Scott Rothschild, Lawrence Journal-World
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Cowboy State ‘Conundrum’
Members of a joint legislative committee in Wisconsin seem to be in agreement that many benefits to injured workers ought to be increased, but said they need to better understand the potential cost before making adjustments. By Dustin Bleizeffer, Jackson Hole Star Tribune
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‘Workers’ Comp: A People Business’
The concept of workers’ compensation as a “people business” seems simple, but too often, it’s difficult to execute – especially given our reliance on technology and mass communications. But according to workers’ comp provider Key Risk, the following factors can contribute to more effective workers’ comp programs. By Kim Doran, Occupational Hazards
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Changes on the Horizon in North Star State, Says Dep. Commish
The deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry recently tells St. Peter Chamber of Commerce members that “tweaks” might be coming to workers compensation laws. By Ed Lee, St. Peter Herald
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W.V.: Competition Rights a State-Run ‘Disaster’
Competition is among the greatest strengths of a free market economy – and West Virginians are taking full advantage of it in an important way. Workers’ compensation insurance, once a state government monopoly, now is a private-sector responsibility. Wheeling Intelligencer
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Enid, Oklahoma Votes on Workers’ Comp
In Oklahoma, Enid Municipal Authority plans to purchase the city’s workers’ compensation claims and pay itself interest on them. The city manager says the idea came from city financial advisers who suggested they begin paying the claims themselves and collecting the interest rate. By Robert Barron, Enid News
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