Quote of the day
"I think it's reprehensible. It may even be a violation of state ethics laws. If they want to bring in judges to talk to them at a meeting, fine. They don't need to take them on a trip."
Mike Seney, of The State Chamber, an organization of Oklahoma businesses, regarding a report that workers' comp judges took free trips from applicant attorneys to Las Vegas
Poizner Is Silver Lining for Golden State GOP
While the Democrats still control both houses of the California Legislature, there is a silver lining for the California GOP: Gov. Schwarzenegger is no longer the only Republican who holds statewide office. Two years ago, voters elected Steve Poizner, a successful businessman from Silicon Valley who started several companies, to the post of insurance commissioner. In other states, this might be a minor position, but in California, it is a political stepping-stone. By Jaime Sneider Weekly Standard
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Report: Sooner State Judges Took Free Trips from Applicant Attorneys
Some workers’ compensation judges have accepted free trips from lawyers to a luxury Las Vegas casino resort. A group, Lawyers for Working Oklahomans, paid for the trips, possibly in violation of state law. Here, the judges have their say on the speaking trips. By Nolan Clay and Randy Ellis, Oklahoman
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Commentary: Oregon Needs a Fair System
In Oregon in recent weeks, there has been controversy surrounding a temporary change in workers’ compensation rules regarding payments to doctors, physical therapists and others who treat injured workers. The director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services and the administrator of the Workers’ Compensation Division weigh in. By Cory Streisinger and John Shilts, Salem Statesman Journal
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Bluegrass State Sees Drop in Claims
A 2008 filing by NCCI shows the third straight decrease in loss costs in Kentucky, according to Kentucky Department of Insurance Commissioner Sharon P. Clark.
News-Democrat & Leader (Russellville, Ky.)
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North Carolina Court Rules on Compensation Calculations
North Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled last week that an employer does not have to include contributions to employee retirement accounts when calculating a workers’ compensation average weekly wage benefit award. By Roberto Ceniceros, Business Insurance
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New York’s Reforms Include ‘Rocket Docket’
In New York, one workers’ compensation reform that is nearly complete is the expedited hearing process. Over the past year, the Workers’ Compensation Board has implemented changes to its legal forms, computer software and hearings calendar and instituted new training for judges to expedite the hearings process. By Oct. 1, the board is expected to formalize a mandate that all cases be processed through the system within 90 days. By Jason Subik, Daily Gazette (Schenectady, N.Y.)
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Mountain State’s Unfunded Liability Smaller, Not Quite a Molehill
The $3.2 billion unfunded liability that existed when West Virginia began transitioning to a private workers’ compensation insurance system on Jan. 1, 2006, has since been reduced to about $1.9 billion, according to Insurance Commissioner Jane Cline. Since the privatization process began, workers’ comp rates have gone down an average of 30.3 percent, resulting in annual employer savings of more than $150 million. By George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
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Public Review Spurred Province’s Expansion of Mandatory Coverage
Effective January 1, 2009, the Manitoba government will extend mandatory coverage of employees by the Workers Compensation Board to include a wide range of industries from advertising and marketing to veterinary services including farms and farm service industries. The changes are the result of a public review of the Workers Compensation Act. Farmscape
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Wellness Coaching: Controlling ‘Creeping Catastrophics’
Imagine that one of your best employees injures his back on the job. He goes to his primary-care physician, who puts him on pain medication and tells him to take it easy for awhile. By Michael Shor, New Hampshire Business Review [with photo] Go to the Full Story…