Quote of the day
"Mental injuries are real. They can be every bit as painful and debilitating as physical injuries."
Nebraska State Sen. Abbie Cornett, to the Nebraska Legislature's Business and Labor Committee, regarding a bill that would expand workers' comp coverage
Cornhusker State May Expand Coverage to Mental Injuries
A former police officer and current Nebraska state senator is behind a bill that would allow employees who suffer mental illnesses as a result of witnessing violent acts to receive workers’ compensation. Officials estimate that expanding the list of covered injuries to include mental harm could cost the state $3.5 million to $26.7 million more a year in additional indemnity and medical compensation for state employees. By Nate Jenkins, AP via Houston Chronicle
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Sunshine State Tax Preparer Sentenced in Workers’ Comp Scheme
A Broward County, Fla., tax preparer gets 13 months in jail for tax fraud conspiracy and aiding in the filing of a false tax return for participating in a scheme to provide false workers’ compensation insurance certificates to general contractors on public and private construction projects in South Florida. South Florida Business Journal
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Auditor Expected to Probe WSI
An outside auditor will examine whether the board of directors of North Dakota’s Workforce Safety and Insurance is following its own rules, a state audit manager says. Auditors will choose a number of independent medical exam and permanent partial impairment files to look for areas that need improvement. By Dale Wetzel, AP via Houston Chronicle
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Manitoba WCB Funds Study of Welder Safety
A Winnipeg-area consulting firm plans to launch a project, funded by the Manitoba Workers’ Compensation Board, designed to help small welding shops protect workers from breathing in unsafe levels of hazardous minerals like nickel and manganese. By Paul Turenne, Winnipeg Sun [with photo] Go to the Full Story…
West Virginia Readies Itself as Full Privatization Looms
More than two years after West Virginia moved from a state-run workers’ compensation system to BrickStreet Mutural Insurance, the state is getting ready to make the next step to a fully open workers’ comp market. Parkersburg News and Sentinel [with photo] Go to the Full Story…
Investigators Bust Oklahoman for Suspected Fraud
A 46-year-old Muskogee, Oklahoma man faces a felony charge of workers’ comp fraud after investigators reportedly videotape him performing physical activity without apparent difficulty, including climbing up and down a ladder, despite his claimed knee injury. Muskogee Phoenix
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Empire State Cracks Down on Misclassification
A new crackdown on employers in New York State that are paying workers off the books snares dozens of companies and uncovers millions of dollars in violations, according to state officials. “I created this task force as a part of my economic security agenda to reduce longstanding abuses of workers and to level the playing field for law-abiding businesses,” Gov. Eliot Spitzer says in a statement. By Steven Greenhouse, New York Times [may require registration] Go to the Full Story…