Woman imprisoned, ordered to pay 170,655  for scam

• A  Delaware woman will serve 5 to 10 years in state prison for a worker’s compensation scam that spanned 2.5 years, in two states and cost a Pennsylvania employer more than $170,000.
• Victoria Newell-Brown, who used the alias “Victoria Stephens” in the scam, pleaded guilty in October to ten felonies regarding claims she made over injuries she reportedly sustained while working at a Family Dollar store in Philadelphia and a restaurant in Delaware.
• A Delaware County Judge sentenced Newell-Brown on Monday to the prison term, which includes an order to pay $170,655 in restitution owed.
• At sentencing, the Office of Attorney General emphasized Newell-Brown’s long history of criminal convictions, which date back to the 1980s and involve a dozen prior convictions, most of which were felonies.
  Read more

Minneapolis police get reprieve with workers’ comp

• A backlog of workers’ compensation claims by Minneapolis police officers appeared to be back on the forefront in Minneapolis.
• A City Council committee voted to settle claims totaling $1.3 million filed by 11 current or former police officers, including some who have faced allegations of misconduct.
• Under Minnesota law — there’s little connection between a government employee’s medical claim to worker compensation funds and their conduct as an employee.
• Last year, however, that was thrown into question in Minneapolis when a council committee denied a $145,000 post-traumatic stress disorder claim filed by former Sgt. Andrew Bittell, who was involved in the beating of Jaleel Stallings.
  Read more

Alabama town passes workers’ comp settlements

• The Birmingham, Alabama, City Council approved a couple of settlements dealing with workers’ compensation.
• The Council approved a $30,000 settlement for a workers’ compensation claim brought by a Communications Department employee against the city arising from “an alleged on-the-job accident, cumulative trauma, and/or occupational disease, resulting in alleged physical injuries to her back, and body as a whole, including surgery.”
• Council members also approved a $14,000 settlement to a workers’ compensation claim brought by a Birmingham Police Department employee for “alleged physical injuries to his right leg and body as a whole.
• The Council did not disclose how the settlements will affect the budget.
  Read more

Colorado lawmakers vote to increase workers’ comp

• The Colorado House Business Affairs & Labor Committee passed legislation sponsored by Representative Lindsey Daugherty to increase workers’ compensation benefits. HB24-1220 unanimously passed by a vote of 11-0.
• Currently, workers’ compensation disability benefits are determined by the claimants’ impairment rating.
• A claimant with an impairment rating of 19 percent or less is eligible for benefits up to $75,000, while a claimant with an impairment rating over 19 percent is eligible for benefits up to $150,000.
• HB24-1220 would increase workers’ compensation disability benefits by increasing these limits on temporary injuries to $185,000 and permanent injuries to $350,000
• In addition, the bill would require workers’ compensation insurers to issue benefit payments through direct deposit if requested by a claimant.
  Read more