Ohio BWC Board Approves $1 Billion Dividend Payout
- The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation board approved Gov. Mike DeWine’s request for a $1 billion workers’ compensation dividend, which will go to roughly 250,000 eligible public and private sector employers and equals about 90% of premiums paid during policy year 2022.
- This marks the fifth major dividend payout approved by BWC since DeWine took office in 2019, bringing the total returned to Ohio employers during his tenure to $10.2 billion.
- Checks will be delivered to eligible employers throughout September and October and will remain valid for 90 days.
- Ohio Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Stivers praised the announcement, and officials noted the BWC’s premium rates are currently at a 65-year low, driven by a years-long decline in workplace injuries and lower-than-expected medical costs.
State Workers Report Long Delays for Medications and Treatment
- Injured Maryland state workers are increasingly facing lengthy battles over workers’ compensation delays, denials and appeals — including disputes over the cost of prescription drugs. Workers say they fight for appointments, medicine and procedures. Some say they’re forced to pay out of pocket or turn to their own health insurance for treatment they say workers’ compensation should cover.
- The workers’ struggles also raise questions about how the state oversees the system that has administered workers’ compensation benefits for Maryland state employees for more than three decades. State audits have repeatedly questioned its oversight and whether payments and administrative charges were properly handled.
- In fiscal 2023, nearly half of Maryland’s 21,661 workers’ compensation claims were disputed and about 3% were disallowed, according to the state Workers’ Compensation Commission, with law enforcement, schools, and warehouse workers filing the most claims, largely for back, knee, and shoulder injuries.
- Maryland’s self-insured system for state employees is administered through the Injured Workers’ Insurance Fund (IWIF), which has been tied since 2013 to Chesapeake Insurance Co., the state’s largest workers’ comp insurer.
- State audits dating back to 2007 have repeatedly found the Treasurer’s Office could not demonstrate that claims payments and administrative charges were properly handled, and the arrangement with IWIF has never been put out for competitive bid.
Workers Compensation Board Seeks Public Input for 2027-2029 Strategic Plan
- The Workers Compensation Board of Prince Edward Island, Canada has launched an online survey seeking feedback from injured workers, employers, labor representatives, industry groups, and the general public to help shape its next strategic plan covering 2027 to 2029.
- Senior legal adviser and spokesperson Stephen Carpenter said the WCB covers 98% of the island’s workforce, and noted that past public feedback has directly influenced the board’s priorities, including recent benefit enhancements and a commitment to better address complex and psychological injuries.
- The WCB is undertaking a business transformation project that includes replacing an outdated IT system and restructuring service delivery, such as assigning injured workers a single caseworker for a longer period instead of passing them between staff as their claim progresses.
- The board is also examining how to address pre-existing conditions in compensation determinations given an aging workforce, adapting to younger workers who juggle multiple jobs, and working to improve access to health care and mental health services through partnerships that provide priority access to providers and virtual psychological care.