MN Workers Score Some Victories

• Several bills benefiting workers have been sent to the governor’s desk.
• HF 5247 will, among other things, expand insurance requirements to cover work injuries suffered by Lyft and Uber drivers.
• The bill allows Uber and Lyft to let drivers continue operating as independent contractors, while not explicitly defining them as such. This leaves open the possibility of legal action.
• Penalties will be increased for employers who misclassify workers as independent contractors to avoid paying workers’ compensation and other legally required coverages.
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Famous Football Player’s Son in Hot Water

• Shiloh Sanders, son of Deion Sanders, has filed for bankruptcy, after injuring a security worker.
• In a civil suit, a security worker claims that Sander’s assault left him with severe injuries, including neurological injuries, damage to his spine, and mental injuries.
• Before a state court, a form of judgment was submitted by the plaintiff and his workers’ comp insurer,
• The judgment was not challenged by Sanders, one of many missteps.
• Sanders could have challenged based on pre-existing conditions resulting from the security guard’s previous career as a baseball player.
• The total amount of the judgment is in excess $11.8 million.
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Relatives Challenge Coverage: Who’s Responsible?

• Relatives of a deceased New Orleans Port worker, are challenging his employer over an asbestos-related death.
• They say that he died of mesothelioma,.
• When the employer’s workers’ comp carrier went bankrupt, the Louisiana Insurance Guarantee Association, assumed the claim payments.
• LIGA later challenged the coverage in court, arguing that SSA Gulf’s insurance policy had an exclusion exempting cancer claims not filed in a timely manner.
• LIGA filed for summary judgment, but was unable to find the policies outlining the exemption. It instead, relied on data from the National Council on Compensation Insurance.
• SSA Gulf filed a summary judgment for lack of proof. The court granted the summary judgment, but denied LIGA for lack of subject matter.
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Worker’ Comp Legislation Advancing in States

• The New York Legislature is working on a bill that will allow treatment costing less than $1,500 to be performed without prior approval.
• It also further defines the list of pre-authorized procedures to be considered as a floor on treatment, as opposed to a ceiling.
• Out of network providers can also be compensated at the provider network negotiated by the insurance carrier.
• Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, the governor has signed a joint resolution updating and adjusting the workers’ compensation fee schedule for the payment of medical providers.
• The Senate voted 44-0 and the House voted 69-0 earlier this month. The the law will take effect July 1, as part of an emergency declaration.
• The Workers’ Compensation Commission sets the maximum rates.
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Work Injuries: What Are the Highest Payouts?

• It’s expected that head, neck, and injuries to the central nervous system would cost the most, according the workers’ compensation experts.
• Other body parts also reach high on the medical scale, including knees, backs, and hips.
• Head and Central Nervous System injuries cost $60,722 in medical expenses and $33,563 in indemnity.
• Hips, thighs, and pelvises had a total payout of $60,155.
• Face injuries rounded out the top 10 with a total payout of $33,635.
• Research shows that motor vehicle mishaps are responsible for the most injuries, followed by burns and falls.
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