In the past, Ohio workers could rely on a stable workers' compensation system that would compensate them for injuries they suffered in the workplace. They would be able to pay for medical expenses and have a little left over to survive. But, in recent years, the workers' compensation system has been overhauled and many states are experiencing severe cutbacks.
The federal government is no longer involved in workers' compensation laws, so not much attention is focused on these changes. However, the situation is so bad that many injured employees must wait years to get recommended prescriptions, surgeries and medical devices to help them recover and live some semblance of a normal life. Many of these victims are unable to work, and with benefits reduced, they end up in poverty. It is a tragic situation for those who spend their days toiling in unsafe working conditions.
In the past decade, 33 states have reduced benefits. In some states, benefits are cut off altogether after certain time limits, regardless of whether or not the employee has recovered. Employees are not able to choose their own doctor or make their own medical decisions in many states. Many of these laws are considered inhumane.
Ironically, these cutbacks are based on the premise that there needs to be some sort of reform, even though employers have been paying rates that have not been this low since the 1970s. So, who is paying for workers' compensation benefits? Taxpayers, of course.
Workers' compensation regulations are created by each state, so where an employee is injured makes a difference as to how much money he or she will receive in benefits. States are making eligibility more difficult, which is frustrating to those who are too injured to work but not injured enough to receive benefits.
Source: ProPublica, "The Demolition of Workers' Comp," Michael Grabell & Howard Berkes, March 4, 2015
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