Virginia workers fail to get better workers’ comp deal

• The Norfolk (Va.) City Council denied the police union’s request for collective bargaining that included better workers’ comp for city employees.
• In a 5-3 vote, council members voted to adopt Ordinance No. 49415, rejecting the Southern States Police Benevolent Association’s push for collective bargaining, a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements on workers’ comp and rights.
• The adopted ordinance will instead reinforce the previously established Employee Relations Committee (ERC) process.
• “The emphasis on strengthening employee relations includes actively encouraging employee engagement and fostering a culture of active participation to include the ability to have a union or professional association membership dues automatically deducted from their paychecks if so desired,” city officials said in a release.
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Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Comp launches new program

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has opened preregistration for the OH|ID program.

OH|ID is designed to create more accessible and secure online services for BWC customers. It impacts various individuals and entities including employers, providers, injured workers, authorized representatives, and managed care organizations.

In early 2024, BWC customers will begin logging in using OH|ID and 2-Step Verification credentials, replacing existing e-account login credentials. OH|ID allows you to combine all account functions you have with BWC under one user ID and password.

This proactive step will help ensure a smooth transition and grant you access to various state agency applications.
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Minnesota man sentenced for workers’ comp fraud

• Princeton, Minnesota, resident Nelson Israel Lopez Giron, 35, was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court after the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office secured his guilty plea in October to felony charges of workers’ comp insurance fraud.
• The charges are related to an incident where an employee of his was seriously injured at work. Lopez Giron admitted his guilt and was sentenced to two years of probation.
• Terms of probation include that he will not seek state or federal construction contracts, pay restitution as ordered by the court, and have no contact with the victims, witnesses, or staff from the carpenters union.
• “Workers’ compensation insurance is a critical protection that workers expect to be there if they are injured on the job,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said.
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New York employee denied workers ‘ comp

• A three-judge panel of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 3rd Department affirmed the denial of workers; compensation claims to a police department, saying the injuries were not related to an occupational disease.
• The woman claimed that she was experiencing pain in her shoulders and arms, and she later filed a claim for workers comp benefits, citing injuries to her right shoulder, bicep, and elbow and her left wrist, forearm, and elbow.
• A workers compensation law judge determined that she had not sustained an occupational disease or repetitive stress accidental injury and denied her claim.
• The New York Workers Compensation Board upheld the decision.
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