Injured workers to get more help
- The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation boosted the grants employers can use to help get injured workers back to work as soon and as safely as possible.
- These so-called Transitional Work Grants are based on the employer’s number of employees and now range from $3,700–$8,200.
- The increase in reimbursement is based on the new rate for functional job analysis, which is an essential tool employers use for their plans.
- Employers are still being reimbursed at 100 percent up to their approved grant maximum and they may re-apply for a new grant every five years.
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Missouri man wins workers’ comp award
- A district service manager in Missouri with back injuries won nearly $6.5 million from a St. Louis County jury after he was fired from his job.
- Scott Caldwell, an employee of UniFirst Corp., was diagnosed with a lumbar disc herniation and sought accommodations for his job, which involved supervising route drivers, scheduling, and other duties.
- Caldwell’s suit said that the company was cooperative at first, but management became unhappy when another doctor’s note requested time off for treatment.
- When the plaintiff informed management that he had filed a workers’ compensation claim, he was placed on non-paid medical leave the following day.
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The state of workers’ comp in Tennessee
- The Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation recently released its 2022 Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Annual Report, which provides a snapshot of changes and progress in 2022.
- The ombudsman program, which includes ombudsman attorneys who can provide limited legal advice, assisted over 16,000 employees and employers in 2022.
- The most recent data shows that approximately 72% of injured workers returned to work after their injury and settlement in post-reform cases, compared to 61% in pre-reform cases1.
- The average medical expenses paid per claim were $27,409 for post-reform claims settled in 2021 and $26,654 for post-reform claims settled in 2022.
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GM lawsuit could have wide-ranging implications
- A Michigan high court ruled that General Motors must comply with an injured worker’s discovery requests, which provides an opportunity to bring a civil suit against the firm and avoid the state workers’ comp system.
- The decision could impact manufacturers that could be on the receiving end of more discovery requests as workers seek to bring claims outside of the state’s cheaper workers’ comp scheme.
- Injured workers generally must bring workers’ comp claims, a system that benefits employers by capping damages and lowering litigation costs.
- Michigan Supreme Court decision broadens the access to workers’ comp and other states might follow suit.
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