Quote of the day
"We want to get rid of the dead wood. We want to ensure we have a strong work force with high morale and we do that by taking action against these individuals who have been misusing their position of trust."
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, reflecting his concern about possible abuse of the workers' comp system after learning that more than 100 employees at King-Drew Medical Center were on long-term leave
L.A. County Supervisors Probe Long-Term Leave Abuses
In Los Angeles County, where nearly one quarter of the county’s 100,000 employees have open workers’ compensation cases, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors targets possible abuses of long-term leave in order to drive down workers’ compensation costs. By Troy Anderson, Los Angeles Daily News
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Fresno Reclassifies Public Safety Officers’ Staph Infections
The Fresno City Council agrees that a drug-resistant staph infection afflicting some city firefighters should be considered a work-related injury for firefighters and police officers, eliminating a burden of proof that they currently bear. The city previously has rejected some firefighters’ workers’ compensation claims on grounds that there was no proven connection to the job. By Matt Leedy, Fresno Bee
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Commentary: The ‘Perennial Battle’
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first major achievement as governor was to bulldoze the California Legislature into overhauling the state workers’ compensation system to the delight of employers, but to the dismay of labor unions and others on the other side of the perennial battle. By Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee
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Eight Major Workers’ Comp Mistakes Employers Make
Looking at workers’ compensation as a business necessity is a major fallacy: although most employers fail to recognize it, workers’ comp is a core business practice and a means for improving the bottom line. When they change focus from price to tangible cost-driving metrics, employers can address the underlying conditions that are pushing work-related injury costs and measure the value of their actions. By Frank Pennachio via Credit Union Executive Society/Credity Union Management Magazine (Madison, Wisc.)
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Utah Court Denies Medical Expense Appeals
Reasoning that medical expenses are not “compensation” subject to apportionment under state law, the Utah Court of Appeals rules that injured workers cannot seek reimbursement for them from the Utah Workers’ Compensation Fund. That overturns an order in two separate cases in which the state labor commission said that the fund must pay all medical expenses for a worker who claimed carpal tunnel syndrome, and another worker who claimed he suffered a work-related degenerative joint disease in his back. By Nathan C. Gonzales, Salt Lake Tribune
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Arizona Appellate Court Adopts ‘Friction and Strain’ Rule
A restaurant employee who was burned by a hot wok in a fight with a supervisor may be eligible to collect workers’ compensation benefits for his injuries, the Arizona Court of Appeals rules. The injured worker, who endured two months of mocking and harassment, was subject to the “friction and strain” rule for altercations that arise in work-related disputes.
Go to the full story by Howard Fischer, Arizona Republic
Go to the full story by Tim Vetscher, KNXV-TV (Phoenix)
Ohio High Court Reverses Itself on Injuries That Are Workers’ Fault
The Ohio Supreme Court reverses its own December 2006 ruling that would have denied workers’ compensation benefits to employees who cause their own injuries. The case involved a teenager who was badly burned when he boiled water to clean a pressure cooker, violating workplace rules. By James Nash, Columbus Dispatch
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Connecticut Widow of Asbestos Victim Can Collect Workers’ Comp
A Windsor Locks, Conn., woman, whose husband died of asbestos-related respiratory failure in 2003 in connection with his 32-year career as an aircraft mechanic for the Connecticut Air National Guard, will receive workers’ compensation benefits. By Alex Wood, Journal Inquirer (Manchester, Conn.)
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