Expanded Workers’ Comp Bill Passes

April 17, 2023

 

Louisiana to disperse workers’ comp funds

  • The Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corp. board will distribute $115.5 million in dividends for 2022 to about 20,000 Louisiana businesses, which employ more than 160,000 workers.
  • LWCC has declared $1.25 billion in dividends, returning dollars to Louisiana businesses and enabling them to invest in their companies and employees, according to the news release.
  • With this allocation of funds, policyholders invest in business initiatives, make safety improvements, and fund programs or incentives for employees.
  • Most of the policyholders receiving a dividend payment employ less than 50 employees.
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Oregon takes steps to improve workers’ comp

  • Workers who are hurt on the job in Oregon may no longer need to dip into vacation and sick time when they go to medical appointments to get treated for their injuries.
  • The state Senate unanimously passed a bill that would allow workers to get paid for time spent on getting medical care or physical therapy to treat workplace injuries.
  • The measure has gone to the House.
  • Senate Bill 418 would close a gap in the coverage employees currently get through the state’s workers’ comp system, which pays employees when they miss work due to an injury.
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Connecticut firefighters asking for more workers’ comp coverage

    • Senate Bill 937 in Connecticut would create a rebuttable presumption that a firefighter’s diagnosis of cancer arose out of and in the course of employment for purposes of workers’ compensation.
    • The Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut (UPFAC) held its annual “FireOps” program to help lawmakers better understand the dangers firefighters face.
    • UPFAC says firefighters face an elevated risk to certain cancers because of the elements they’re exposed to.
    • The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) agrees firefighters deserve the benefit, but reject the way the bill is structured because of the costs.
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N.J. policeman files lawsuit

  • A police officer in n Asbury Park, New Jersey, sued the department alleging he was racially discriminated against, subjected to a hostile work environment and other issues,
  • Kirby Vargas missed months of work due to multiple health problems and later complained about mold in the department’s headquarters.
  • Vargas had earlier filed a workers’ compensation claim after testing positive for the coronavirus in March 2021 and being diagnosed with cancer two months later.
  • Vargas, now 51, missed 152 days of work in 2021 and was moved from the technical services unit in January 2023 after being exposed to mold months earlier.
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