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DISTINCT INJURIES GET SEPARATE
COMPENSATION: COURT
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SAN FRANCISCO-A California appellate court has
ruled that simultaneous but distinct industrial injuries
must be compensated separately rather than combined to
settle a permanent disability case.
The ruling Tuesday by California's 1st District
Court of Appeal in San Francisco in the closely followed
case of Diane Benson vs. Workers' Compensation Appeals
Board, the court upheld a 2004 reform measure regarding
claims apportionment.
It also upheld a workers
comp board finding that granted Ms. Benson a total of
$49,210 for two awards stemming from neck injuries that
each caused a 31% permanent disability.
Read
on...
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HEALTH INSURERS SETTLE OVER IMPROPER
CANCELLATIONS
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LOS
ANGELES (Reuters)-Health Net Inc. and Wellpoint Inc.'s
Anthem  Blue
Cross Life and Health Insurance Co. agreed to reinstate
health coverage and reimburse medical costs for
thousands of California policyholders whose coverage was
improperly canceled, officials said Wednesday.
The settlements, worth at least $25 million, end
lawsuits brought on behalf of 3,100 policyholders by
state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, Los Angeles
City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and private attorney
William Shernoff.
Health Net, which was accused
of unfairly terminating coverage for 800 people between
2004 and 2009, will reinstate their coverage, reimburse
medical expenses and pay $6.3 million in damages and a
$2 million penalty, Mr. Shernoff said.
Read
on...
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IDLED EMPLOYEES SEE WORKERS COMP AS INCOME
SPINNER
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(Business Insurance)-Job reports released in early
February underscore a growing challenge risk managers
face: managing workers compensation losses in the midst
of layoffs that can exacerbate claim frequency and
severity.
Employees off the job due to a
legitimate injury now may be more motivated to extend
the life of their workers comp benefits if their jobs
may soon be eliminated or already have been downsized.
Despite economic conditions, though, most
employees will resolve their claims as soon as is
medically possible if employers treat them fairly and
with respect, said Dave Dolnick, risk manager for La
Mesa, Calif., construction company The Brady Cos.
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INVESTMENT YIELDS KEEP PENSION FUNDING LEVELS
LOW
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Although higher bond yields last month helped to trim
funding shortfalls in defined benefit pension plans,
most U.S. pension plans remained significantly
underfunded, pension experts at two consultants report.
The discount rates used by most U.S. corporations to
estimate their defined benefit pension plan liabilities
grew last month in response to a .75% increase in long
bond indices, which were largely driven by increased
Treasury bond yields, according to New York-based Mercer
L.L.C. However, pension assets were still down
significantly due to lower investment yields.
The Mercer report estimated that U.S. defined benefit
pension plans are about 75% funded, based on a funding
deficit of $380 billion. It is based on an analysis of
Standard & Poor's 1500 companies.
Read
on... |
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Sincerely,
Santa Maria &
Company
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PLEASE
NOTE
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WE
WILL BE MOVING
our
office effective
March
16, 2009
The new address will
be:
1550 Parkside Drive,
Suite 200
Walnut Creek, CA
94596
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FEATURED
ARTICLE
WC CHANGES
EFFECTIVE JAN.
1ST
CALIFORNIA ASSESSMENTS AND SURCHARGES
EFFECTIVE 1/1/2009
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For
Workers Compensation policies effective January 1, 2009
and after, the California Assessments and Surcharges
have been revised as follows:
California Fraud
Investigation/Prosecution
Surcharge
Changed from
.2394% to.3956%.
California User Funding
Assessment
Changed from
1.0703% to1.3583%.
California Uninsured Employers Benefit
Trust Fund Assessment
Changed from
.1730%
to.2241%.
California Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund
Assessment
Changed from
.0311% to.0827%.
California Guarantee Assoc.
Surcharge
Remains
unchanged
at 2.0%
If
you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact
our office.
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