Quote of the day
"The mere fact that [a person is] undocumented does not bar them from receiving a compensation benefit."
Chief Judge George E. Healey Jr., Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Court
Injured Illegal Worker May Return to U.S. to Seek Benefits
The Mexican Consulate in Boston is attempting to acquire a humanitarian visa for an illegal worker, who was deported after being injured in a gruesome chainsaw accident last year while working in Rhode Island, so he can return to the U.S. to pursue a workers’ compensation claim against his former employer. By Karen Lee Ziner, Providence Journal
Go to the Full Story…
Coventry Acquires Florida Health Plan Administrators
In the latest in a string of acquisitions including a $388 million purchase of Concentra’s workers’ compensation managed care business earlier this year, Coventry Healthcare completes its $685 million takeover of Florida Health Plan Administrators. South Florida Business Journal
Go to the Full Story…
Philly Cops Busted on Workers’ Comp Charges
Two former Philadelphia police officers face a combined 1,800 counts of failure to carry workers’ compensation insurance as they moonlighted running an armed-security-guard company. By David Gambacorta, Philadelphia Inquirer
Go to the Full Story…
Officials: NCCI Filing Indicates Success of Missouri Reforms
Insurance officials say a recent filing by the National Council on Compensation Insurance indicates that Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt’s 2005 workers’ compensation reforms are helping to decrease workers’ comp rates in the state and cut claim frequency. NCCI has proposed an overall decrease of 10.1 percent from its 2007 loss costs for the state of Missouri. Joplin.com
Go to the Full Story…
Senate Bill Would Close Loophole That Allows Misclassification
New legislation introduced last week by Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., targets the deliberate misclassification of employees as self-employed, independent contractors, a practice the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department calls a “scam of unprecedented magnitude.” By Mike Hall, AFL-CIO Weblog
Go to the Full Story…
Disabled Vets: Bureaucrats Taking Back Benefits
Disabled veterans appeal to Nova Scotia legislators to stop civil servants from “clawing back” the money they receive to compensate them for injuries and illnesses sustained in the course of duty. Says one veteran, “”To put it simply, because I got too sick from my time in the Gulf War, these senior bureaucrats think it is acceptable to punish me by stealing the long-term disability benefits that rightfully belong to my wife and I.” By Stephen Maher, Chronicle Herald (Halifax)
Go to the Full Story…