Health plans violated False Claims Act
- The United States filed a complaint alleging that six health plans participating in the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP) program, as well as their trade group, the US Family Health Plan Alliance, violated the False Claims Act.
- These groups knowingly retained erroneously inflated payments for healthcare services the health plans contracted to provide to retired military members and their families, according to court documents.
- The United States has also reached a settlement with Department of Defense contractor Kennell & Associates Inc., a consulting firm, related to the conduct.
- The USFHP program is one of the healthcare options available to military personnel, retirees and their families. Six health plans are eligible to participate in this program, each of which is a defendant in the government’s complaint.
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Council opposed an amendment to Workers’ Compensation Act
- The Chalfont Borough Council in Pennsylvania opposed a proposed amendment to the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act that’d allow first responders dealing with post-traumatic stress injuries to qualify for workers’ comp.
- Bipartisan House Bill 1632 and Senate Bill 365 would amend the Workers’ Compensation Act to extend coverage to first responders — firefighters, EMS providers, PA police officers, and more — should they report struggling with post-traumatic stress injuries.
- A PTSI diagnosis from a licensed medical or mental health professional would be required.
- One council member said the bills were written too broadly and should require an official diagnosis from a psychologist or psychiatrist rather than any “licensed medical professional,” as the bill is written.
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Court affirms case involving discretionary penalties
- A court case in New York affirmed Workers’ Compensation Law Section 114-a which provides discretionary penalties disqualifying future permanency benefits.
- The surveillance footage contradicted representations that the claimant made at his permanency evaluations.
- The claim was established for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress to both wrists and shoulders.
- The video showed the claimant gardening using both hands, carrying and lifting a bag of trash and a flowerpot and the claimant showed no signs of discomfort.
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Improvements being made at 3M
- A 3M plant in Wisconsin continues to make safety-related improvements and investments designed to prevent incidents after a worker was killed.
- OSHA issues willful citations only when it believes a company shows “intentional disregard” or “plain indifference” to worker safety.
- 3M did a corporate-wide review and determined that machine rollers were hazards needing safety improvements weeks and months after the worker was killed.
- 3M’s Prairie du Chien, Wis., plant had no work safety violations in at least a decade before the accident, according to OSHA.
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