West Virginia lowers premiums
- West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced that the NCCI, West Virginia’s rating and statistical agent, has filed a proposed workers’ compensation loss cost decrease of 12.7%, effective Nov. 1, 2023.
- This premium reduction results in a projected $20 million in savings to West Virginia employers.
- Since the workers’ compensation program was privatized in 2006, the market has experienced approximately $466 million in premium savings.
- This latest filing represents the 19th consecutive year of loss cost decreases.
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Major fraud in Miami
- Hector Gutierrez-Morales, the owner of HG & AKE Construction Corp., was arrested for workers’ comp premium fraud for allegedly concealing company payroll amounts to avoid higher premiums for coverage.
- Gutierrez-Morales, of Miami, allegedly concealed payroll to avoid paying higher workers’ compensation premiums.
- Gutierrez-Morales applied for workers’ compensation coverage with Traveler Property Casualty of America with an estimated annual payment of approximately $161,000.
- Based on the provided information, a traditional policy was issued with an estimated annual premium of approximately $28,000. Gutierrez-Morales proceeded to renew the coverage for two additional years with increases in the estimated annual payroll.
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Miners laud prosed rule for safety
- The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has proposed a rule that would cut the current limit for silica exposure by half.
- The rule, published in the Federal Register this month, cuts the permissible exposure limit for silica dust from 100 to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air for an 8-hour shift in coal, metal, and nonmetal mines such as sand and gravel.
- The proposal aligns with exposure levels imposed by OSHA on construction and other non-mining industries. And it’s the standard the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in 1974.
- Silicosis is an occupational pneumoconiosis caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dust present in minerals like sandstone.
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House debates contractor rule
- U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee debated the pros and cons of changing the so-called “independent contractor” rule.
- This rule dictates how to properly classify workers as employees or independent contractors, a distinction that has grown in importance with the steep increase in the independent workforce in recent years.
- Independent contractors are not entitled to overtime pay, minimum wage, workers’ compensation, or unemployment compensation benefits.
- However, businesses can save significant funds by utilizing the services of independent contractors as opposed to hiring employees.
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