Trump Restores Board for Sick Nuclear Workers’ Comp Claims

• The White House has restored an advisory board crucial for approving medical claims from nuclear weapons workers with high radiation exposure.
• This board was previously suspended by the Department of Health and Human Services in January.
• Eligible workers at U.S. Department of Energy and Defense nuclear sites can receive a $150,000 lump-sum payment and medical insurance.
• They must demonstrate their diagnosed cancers are linked to high radiation exposure during employment.
• Tuesday’s restoration occurred through a White House executive order extending nearly two dozen federal advisory committees.
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Oregon Preferred Worker Program Seen Benefiting ‘Both Sides’

• Oregon’s Preferred Worker Program is considered a program that benefits both sides: injured employees get reentry to the labor force under adapted roles, and employers gain access to vetted labor with reduced risk.
• Charity Steffen, with Oregon’s Workers’ Compensation Division, described the Preferred Worker Program as a pathway for workers with permanent limitations from job injuries to return to meaningful employment through placements with participating employers.
• The Preferred Worker Program helps qualified Oregon workers who have permanent restrictions from on-the-job injuries and who are not able to return to their regular employment because of those injuries. Preferred workers can offer Oregon employers a chance to save money by hiring them.
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MEMIC Credit Ratings Won’t Change on Dakota Group Buy: AM Best

• Rating Agency AM Best said that it will not change its Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a” (Excellent) of Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company (Portland, ME) and its wholly owned subsidiaries, MEMIC Indemnity Company and MEMIC Casualty Company following the recent announcement of a transaction to acquire the Dakota Group.
• With the acquisition, the MEMIC Group would become the third-largest multistate specialty workers’ compensation insurance carrier in the United States.
• Risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), is expected to remain at a level that supports the consolidated group.
• The transaction is anticipated to close in January 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
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