Governor Paterson says Workers Comp Reform act is working

According to NY Governor Paterson, the 2007 Workers’ Compensation Reform act is making New York State “a better place to do business”.  According to Paterson, “benefits to injured workers have increased, costs for businesses have decreased, fraud is being eliminated, and injured workers with disputed claims are getting benefits faster.”

 

The Governor’s comments were made about the recently released New York State Insurance Department’s 2009 Workers’ Compensation Data Report.  According to the report, key goals in the 2007 plan are being achieved.

 

Of course, what the Governor and the Workers’ Comp Board think is progress may not be the same as what injured workers think is progress.  After all, what’s good for business isn’t always good for workers.  Saving money is important to businesses and the WCB, but not if it comes at the expense of the working men and women of New York.

 

Some highlights of the Data Report:

 

• Benefits to injured workers have increased
• Disputed claims are being resolved faster
• Administrative review backlog has decreased
• Stronger fraud prevention efforts are working
• Overall number of workers’ comp claims falling

 

The 2009 Workers’ Compensation Data Report is the second report issued since the 2007 reform act was passed.  You can read more about the benefits of the reforms in our library article, “Top 3 Benefits of the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board Reforms”.