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Showing posts with label Bill (law). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill (law). Show all posts

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

NJ COLA Bill - Legislative Hearing Scheduled

The NJ Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will hold a public hearing on a pending COLA bill S613 to increase benefits on 12/5/2013 1:00:00 PM.

The Senate Labor Committee report

The Senate Labor Committee reports favorably and with

committee amendments Senate Bill No. 613.

As amended by the committee, this bill provides, from July 1, 2013

forward, an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) in the weekly

workers' compensation benefit rate for any worker who has become

totally and permanently disabled from a workplace injury at any time

after December 31, 1979 and for the surviving dependents of any

worker who died from a workplace injury after December 31, 1979.

The COLA would be an amount such that, when added to the

workers' compensation weekly benefit rate initially awarded, the sum

will bear the same percentage relationship to the maximum benefit rate

at the time of the adjustment that the initial rate bore to the maximum

rate at the time of the initial award, except that:

1. The bill reduces the amount of the adjustment as much as

necessary to ensure that the sum of the adjustment and the amount

initially awarded does not exceed the amount which would cause any

reduction of disability benefits payable under the Federal Old Age,

Survivors and Disability Act; and

2. The bill reduces the supplemental workers’ compensation

benefits (but not regular workers’ compensation) for claimants injured

after 1979 by the amount of any Social Security benefits (other than

Social Security disability benefits and any increases in Social Security

benefits due to federal statutory changes after May 31, 1980), Black

Lung benefits, or the employer’s share of disability pension payments

received from or on account of an employer, except that if the worker's

original workers' compensation award was already reduced under

current law, there would be no further reduction of the supplemental

benefits under the bill.

These reductions parallel the reductions provided under current

law for claimants who were injured before 1980. The bill also

provides that no supplemental benefits would be paid in any case

where they are calculated to be less than $5 per week.

Current law requires such annual adjustments in the rate of

workers' compensation benefits for death and permanent total

disability to be paid from the Second Injury Fund (SIF), but only for

cases of injury or death occurring before January 1, 1980. The bill

extends the adjustments paid from the SIF to claims originating after

December 31, 1979, although the adjustments would apply only to

benefits paid on those claims after July 1, 2013, thus avoiding a

backlog of retroactive benefits.

The bill provides that supplemental payments will commence only

after SIF assessments are sufficient to pay them without using General

Fund money. The supplemental benefit payments would start on July

1, 2013 and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development is

required to take into account the supplemental benefits when

calculating the amount of the Second Injury Fund assessment which

starts on January 1, 2013, thus avoiding the need for any General Fund

appropriation.

To avoid an abrupt fiscal impact on the workers’ compensation

system, the bill provides that one third of the supplemental benefit rate

be paid during the first year, two thirds of the rate be paid during the

second year and the full amount be paid during the third and

subsequent years.

The bill sets time limits for workers’ compensation insurers and

self-insured employers to notify the SIF when supplemental workers’

compensation benefits are required under the bill. An insurer or selfinsured

employer is required to provide the notice not more than 60

days after the supplement is awarded or voluntary payment is to begin.

If a failure to notify results in the payment of an incorrect amount of

benefits, the liability for the payment of the supplemental benefits is

transferred from the SIF to the insurer or employer until the required

notice is provided.

The bill makes no change in the provisions of sections 1 and 9 of

P.L.1980, c.83 (C.34:15-95.4 and 34:15-95.5), which provide for the

reduction of certain portions of workers' compensation benefits by the

amount of Social Security disability benefits paid. In addition, the bill

expressly states that the supplemental benefits shall not be paid in a

manner which in any way changes or modifies the provisions of those

sections. The bill, therefore, will have no effect on existing provisions

of State and federal law regarding offsets between workers'

compensation and federal Social Security disability benefits.

The committee amendments provide that the application of the cost

of living adjustment commence on July 1, 2013, instead of July 1,

2011.

This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2012-2013 session

pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes

required by technical review, which has been performed.

….
Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Workers at 9/11 site get workers’ compensation and disability extension

Today's post was from nysaflcio.org

Workers at 9/11 site get workers’ compensation and disability extension
Workers at 9/11 site get workers’ compensation and disability extension
The re-opener of workers’ compensation and disability retirement registry for workers at 9/11 Site (A7803A -Abbate / S5759A -Golden) has been signed into law and is Chapter 489 of the Laws of 2013.
This bill reopens the registry for workers’ compensation and disability pension for those who were at or near the ground zero after the 9/11 terrorist attack. The new open period will extend through September 11, 2014. If eligible, workers who are on the registry will be presumed to have contracted certain illnesses that manifest themselves later in life as a result of their work at or near the site during that time period. The bill also addresses a shortfall in the law that prohibited vested members of a retirement system who worked at the site during the time in question but who subsequently left service, from being eligible for the registry.
The NYS AFL-CIO will continue to work with affiliates to spread the word and encourage any members or other workers who may be eligible for to register to do so prior to the new expiration date of September 14, 2014.
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Monday, November 11, 2013

Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy will hold a hearing on S. 1009

On Wednesday, November 13, the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy will hold a hearing on “S. 1009 – The Chemical Safety Improvement Act.” 

The subcommittee has held three hearings in the 113th Congress examining the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) including practical effects of its regulatory implementation. 

Next week, members will begin examining efforts to reform the statute with a review of S. 1009, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation authored by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) and the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). 

As part of the ongoing effort to improve chemical safety regulation, the subcommittee will take a thoughtful look at the proposed Senate bill and how it addresses reform of the program. 

The Majority Memorandum and witness list is available here. Witness testimony will also be posted at the same link when available.


Sunday, October 20, 2013

Naloxone Expansion In California Will Enable Family, Friends To Save Lives At Home

Today's post was shared by Huffington Post and comes from www.huffingtonpost.com

Family and friends of more drug users in California will soon be able to reverse overdoses at home with a lifesaving injectable drug.
On Thursday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 635, authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, which will expand the use of the drug naloxone. Naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, can be administered to a person suffering from an opiate overdose to restore breathing.
Naloxone is non-addictive, non-toxic, fairly cheap and is easy to administer through the nose or intravenously. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1971 and is stocked in thousands of emergency rooms, ambulances and post-surgery recovery rooms across the country. But frequently, opiate users don't make it to the hospital in time.
For that reason, in 2008, California implemented a pilot program in seven counties that allowed drug users, their family and friends, health care professionals and addiction counselors to administer naloxone in an emergency -- and be protected from civil or criminal liability if anything goes wrong.
The bill that Brown signed into law extends the program across all of California.
Starting Jan. 1, drug users and their family and friends will be able to request a naloxone prescription from a doctor or addiction treatment program.
For example, "if a teen is known to be picking up OxyContin, their family might -- in the treatment process -- want a naloxone prescription, just in case," Ammiano's communications director Carlos...
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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Oklahoma Work Comp Opt-Out System Under Legal Attack

The recently enacted, and high innovated cost-savings opt-out program in Oklahoma workers' compensation has come under direct legal attack as being unconstitutional.

On Tuesday, Sen. Harry Coates (R-Seminole) joined Rep. Emily Virgin (D-Norman) and the Professional Firefighters of Oklahoma in filing a challenge against the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1062, the workers’ compensation reform bill passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Fallin during the 2013 legislative session.

“As a longtime businessman, I recognize that it’s necessary to have workers’ compensation rates as low as possible. In fact, I believe we need a workers’ compensation administrative system, just not the unconstitutional and unworkable system created by Senate Bill 1062.

It’s wrong that a fire fighter or any other injured worker should have to pay back benefits after returning to work. This is just one of many problems with this new law.

Instead, I’d support a bill that would give Oklahoma an administrative system like that in Missouri, which is working very well only a few years after being approved by that legislature. Back in 2005 when Missouri went to an administrative system, The Oklahoman advised the Oklahoma legislature to adopt the Missouri workers’ compensation system. That was good advice!

In 2012, the often-quoted Oregon Study showed that while Oklahoma had the sixth highest workers’ compensation rates in the nation, Missouri had one of the lowest rankings at number 36. Oklahoma was 47 percent ABOVE the national median and Missouri was 14 percent BELOW the study median.
Oklahoma needs to pass the Missouri law with no amendments and no changes. Missouri and Oklahoma have similar constitutional provisions regarding injuries, and the Missouri law has already survived constitutional tests. There is no doubt that their administrative system could work in Oklahoma and reduce rates for businesses, small and large.

I appreciate Rep. Emily Virgin and the Professional Firefighters of Oklahoma for joining me in this effort.”

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Workers’ Compensation Task Force meets

Today's post was shared by WCBlog and comes from delaware.newszap.com


The Workers’ Compensation Task Force reconvened Friday to kick off a series of monthly meetings designed to further address the state of Delaware’s workers compensation premiums.

Four months earlier, the task force presentation an 18-point plan to reform the state’s increasing workers’ compensation. The plan was translated to legislation and signed into law in June.

“We have had some developments since we issued our report,” said Lt. Gov. Matthew Denn, the chairman of the 20-member task force.

Since 2007, the state has been working to cut back on high premium rates. Insurance legislation enacted in 2007, Senate Bill 1, included provisions to create a Health Care Advisory Panel (consisting mostly of health care personnel) to reform the payment system and develop practice guidelines for the most common workplace injuries, as well as create a Data Collections Committee. The reforms passed helped the state facilitate nearly a 40 percent decrease in rates, jumping from having the nation’s third most expensive workers compensation premiums in 2006 to the 34th most expensive by 2010, according to the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Premium Rate Ranking Summary.

But, the premium rate has skyrocketed since then, rising over 40 percent in two years.

The legislation, House Bill 175, addresses the task force’s four major workers compensation concerns.
Curbing the high workers compensation medical costs was a priority, so the...
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