Quote of the day
"I think a rate reduction is a great thing, because workers' compensation costs are an important part of doing business in this state."
North Carolina Chamber spokeswoman Sherry Melton
North Carolina May See First Rate Decline in Five Years
Workers’ compensation insurance rates paid by employers are poised to decline in 2009 for the first time since 2004. The N.C. Rate Bureau is seeking an average decrease of 4.4 percent. By David Ranii, Raleigh News & Observer
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Editorial: Judges Should Not Receive Compensation from Attorneys
Recently, Oklahomans learned that judges of the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court attended workers’ comp seminars in Las Vegas and their airfare and rooms were paid for by an attorneys’ organization. Judges should never receive compensation from attorneys or attorney groups for any sort of service, educational or otherwise. Muskogee Phoenix
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Kansas County Reviews Workers’ Comp Trust Pool
The Leavenworth County Commission has requested a stewardship report for each of the 13 entities in its workers’ compensation trust pool. During a study session on Monday, commissioners and the county administrator reviewed the Kansas Eastern Regional Insurance Trust, a group of 13 cities and counties. Leavenworth Times
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Alaska Troopers’ Union Wants Probe
The union representing state troopers in Alaska has called for a probe into alleged workers’ compensation-related ethics violations by Gov. Sarah Palin’s office and the state’s director of risk management.
Go to the full story by Roberto Ceniceros, Business Insurance
Go to the full story by Jason Leopold, Public Record
Maryland Town Advised to Take Proactive Approach
Hagerstown, Md., city employees reported 115 injuries in fiscal year 2008 that led to $245,559 in workers’ compensation costs, according to the city’s safety and loss control coordinator, recommending to the city council that it take a proactive approach by promoting programs that focus on prevention, rather than dealing with injuries as they occur. Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, Md.)
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Tucson: $20M for Public Safety Officers’ Medical Costs Since 2002
It’s common knowledge that public safety jobs are dangerous and that risk is fundamental to the identities of police and firefighters. What’s less known, and difficult to pin down, is the cost of their injuries. But what is clear is that Tucson’s injury rate for officers and firefighters is more than two times the state average. By Carli Brosseau, Tucson Citizen
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Injured Pennsylvanian Sounds Off
“This is a citizen’s attempt to warn the public about the widespread corruption that exists within our government. It is corruption that has permeated the [Pennsylvania] Workers Compensation Bureau.” Lebanon Daily News
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