By: Mark Barnes
mbarnes@nullbugbeelawyers.com
On August 24, 2021, House Bill 401 was introduced which creates a cause of action for injuries and occupational diseases arising from COVID-19 vaccines mandated by employers. The bill amends R.C.
By: Mark Barnes
mbarnes@nullbugbeelawyers.com
Since the onset of the pandemic in the Spring of 2020, the Director of the Ohio Department of Health, through its orders, has encouraged employers to permit “as many employees as possible to work from home by implementing policies in areas such as teleworking and video conferencing.
Manor Care, a self-insured employer, paid and continues to pay permanent total disability (“PTD”) compensation to two claimants, beginning in the mid-1990s. The claimants also received Disabled Worker Relief Fund (“DWRF”) benefits, which is a benefit designed to supplement the monthly income of PTD recipients, whose combined PTD benefits and social security disability compensation fall below the minimum set forth in R.C. 4123.413.
Read moreIndustrial Commission to Expand Hearing Docket in December
Beginning on Monday, December 14, 2020, the Ohio Industrial Commission will begin adding a 4:00pm hour to some dockets to more efficiently eliminate the backlog of claims that has developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday, August 21, 2020 BWC Board of Directors approved a 10% rate cut amounting to $14.8 million less in BWC premiums for Ohio public employers. The reduction was made possible by declining injury trends and relatively low medical inflation costs. The 10% reduction represents an average statewide change to premiums and does not include costs related to the administrative cost fund or other funds BWC administers.
Read moreThe Board met virtually on August 21, 2020 and approved Governor DeWine’s request to send another round of face coverings to employers to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The BWC shipped 20.6 million masks to 197,000 Ohio employers as part of their Protecting Ohio’s Workforce — We’ve Got You Covered campaign. BWC will begin sending approximately 23 million masks to employers this fall, who will not be billed for the items.
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