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Insurance

State cuts workers’ comp rates by an average 15.7 percent

01/01/2007

The state’s insurance commissioner, Kevin McCarty, got his wish, approving an average 15.7 percent cut in workers’ compensation rates. That means a savings of more than $400 million for Florida employers …

Florida Workers’ Comp Law: What Is ‘Maximum Medical Improvement’?

01/01/2007

Even though Florida’s workers’ compensation (WC) system includes many safeguards to protect against abuse, you must still stay on top of cases to ensure that you pay only legitimate benefits …

6 legally vital elements in staffing-firm contracts

01/01/2007

When negotiating contracts with employee outsourcing firms, many organizations make background checks an afterthought and leave the specifics up to the agency. That’s a  big mistake …

North Carolina Unemployment Compensation Law

01/01/2007

North Carolina’s unemployment compensation fund, like that of many other states, provides temporary payments to employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The program draws from a public policy that assumes “economic insecurity due to unemployment is a serious menace to the health, morals, and welfare of the people of this state” and the legislature is compelled to “lighten its burden [on] … the unemployed worker and his family.” North Carolina administers the law through its Employment Security Commission (ESC) (www.ncesc.com/) …

North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act

01/01/2007

North Carolina’s workers’ compensation system protects employees who are injured on the job by replacing lost wages while they recover. The state Industrial Commission (www.comp.state.nc.us/) administers the law …

Use new govt. data to benchmark benefit percentages

12/01/2006

The U.S. government’s main survey on employee wages and benefits, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC), offers a good quarterly snapshot that can help you benchmark your own pay and perks …

Healthy employees pay lower premiums

12/01/2006

When Dan Dauphinee learned that a quarter of health care costs are due to unhealthy and unsafe behaviors, the operations manager made this pitch to the 140 employees of Northeastern Log Homes: Change your behavior, and we’ll cut your insurance premiums by 25 percent …

New incentive to speed up workers’ comp cases

12/01/2006

New York employers now have more incentive to move workers’ compensation cases along quicker if the case includes accusations that the employer retaliated against employees who filed a work-related injury claim …

How to respond to predicted labor shortage in New York

12/01/2006

The state’s economy keeps humming along. Private-company payrolls increased 1.1 percent statewide in the past year, while New York City payrolls jumped 2.0 percent during the same period …

Pataki leaves his stamp on state employment law

12/01/2006

Lame duck Gov. George Pataki intends to influence state government long after his term expires on Dec. 31. Since Jan. 1 of this year, he has appointed more than 300 people to positions on various state boards, commissions and authorities …