Challenges with federal workers’ comp

• The federal workers’ comp program is so convoluted that getting approval for medical scans or procedures can take years, workers claim.
• While their doctors might tell these workers a procedure or scan is necessary, it can take weeks or months to receive approval from the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.
• Joe Mansour, a workers’ compensation specialist, has been brought in to work on almost 1,000 cases since the start of the year because of delays and other issues.
• He emphasized that the union has contended with the problem under Democrats and Republicans in the White House, but it grew tough under the Trump administration.
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Audit finds workers’ comp commission not proactive

• Maryland’s Workers’ Compensation Commission failed to identify employers in the state who were not properly insured.
• The finding was one of three in a new report released by the Office of Legislative Audits.
• A failure to maintain complete records on cases and a failure to verify that millions of dollars in collections from employers and insurance companies were deposited had been identified in previous audits.
• The 10-member commission is charged with receiving reports about workplace accidents.
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Fraud in Alaska

• A grand jury indicted Medicaid provider Abdoulie Lowe who was doing business as Apapa Assisted Living Home for alleged fraud against the Alaska Medicaid program.
• The State of Alaska also charged Mr. Lowe with failing to maintain workers’ compensation insurance for his employees.
• The charges stem from conduct between Oct. 2021 and Apr. 2023 when Mr. Lowe is alleged to have obtained nearly $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements without the legally-required documentation of the services he was claiming to provide
• He also submitted additional Medicaid claims totaling more than $7,000 for services that Mr. Lowe claimed to provide to recipients in his care when he was working elsewhere.
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New safety support for volunteer fire departments

• The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Administrator John Logue recently announced that local volunteer fire departments are now eligible to receive up to $15,000 in grants to pay for firefighting safety gear.
• BWC has now broadened eligibility for its Firefighter Exposure to Environmental Elements Grants to include emergency response “turnout” gear for local volunteer fire departments.
• With this change to eligibility, volunteer fire departments can now apply for up to $15,000 every three years for firefighting gear such as trousers, boots, suspenders, and jackets.
• The task force issued a 31-page report in February (PDF) with several recommendations surrounding various topics including volunteer recruitment, retention, and training.
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