Missouri bill would protect immigrant workers

• A bill being considered in the Missouri House would create new requirements for immigrant employees and ensure they are covered by workers’ comp insurance.
• The proposal from Rep. Jim Murphy, R-St. Louis County requires private employers to verify the eligibility of every worker hired after the business enrolls in the federal work authorization program.
• The bill adds private employers to the list as public employers are already required to enroll.
• Murphy said that if the state is going to protect workers with workers’ compensation and other benefits, they have to be paid properly, and they have to be hired properly.
  Read more

An effort to change a workers comp law in Virginia

• Repeated stress injuries are not covered by workers’ compensation in Virginia.
• Del. Paul Krizek, a Democrat from Fairfax, is proposing legislation that says injuries or diseases caused by repeated stress, including repeated and sustained motion, shifts in posture, vibration, or noise are deemed to be occupational diseases.
• The bill does not require showing that the stress occurred over a particular period by clear and convincing evidence.
• A key part of that attraction for businesses is that Virginia employers’ costs for workers’ compensation are the second-lowest in the nation.
  Read more

Assessing Experience Modifier Rate in Ohio

• An Experience Modifier Rate (EMR) is a key metric used in Ohio to determine how much an employer will pay in workers’ comp premiums.
• The Ohio BWC calculates an employer’s EMR by comparing the employer’s expected losses to that of the industry average.
• If an employer’s workers’ compensation claim costs are below average, the employer will have an EMR below 1.00, and the employer is considered “credit rated.”
• Operating a safe workplace with an EMR below 1.00 can result in many benefits for an employer, including lower BWC premiums and eligibility for higher discounts and rebates on BWC premiums through group rating programs.
  Read more

Restricted stock units could impact workers’ comp

• Restricted stock units and other forms of equity-based compensation are creating a stir in the workers’ compensation marketplace, forcing insurance carriers to revisit whether to include them as payroll when calculating premiums.
• The National Council on Compensation Insurance enacted similar regulatory and administrative changes effective Jan. 1 that will impact workers’ comp premiums for companies that use equity-based compensation to attract and retain employees.
• An increase in payroll from non-salary-based compensation plans like RSUs can significantly increase the final workers’ comp premium.
• This can happen at inception if higher estimated payroll figures are appropriately utilized per the new guidelines, or at the final audit due to increases in stock price throughout the policy period.
  Read more