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Insurance

Opted out of workers’ comp system? Be careful of verbal authorizations

04/01/2007

If your organization has opted not to participate in the Texas workers’ compensation system, but you still authorize treatment for work-related injuries, make sure you track how and when you give employees permission to seek treatment …

Unemployment Taxes: Don’t Try This Illegal Texas Two-Step

04/01/2007

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) recently announced that the agency has recovered nearly $1.8 million in unpaid unemployment insurance taxes from employers …

Benchmark organization’s health benefits using new online database

04/01/2007

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has introduced a database of average annual health care costs for workers and employers in major U.S. cities …

It’s up to the injured employee to show that she’s totally disabled due to job injury

04/01/2007

Sometimes, what seems like a minor injury is exaggerated by employees who want to collect permanent workers’ compensation benefits. But there’s good news for employers. The Georgia Court of Appeals has clarified whose job it is to prove that disability …

You can ban employee smoking, but can you ban smokers?

04/01/2007

Employers are always looking for ways to cut health care costs … and smoking and overweight employees may seem like ripe targets for change …

Solidify an independent contractor’s status by proving he turned down employee job offer

04/01/2007

Florida employers don’t have to pay workers’ compensation benefits for their independent contractors. Plus, they aren’t responsible for the on-the-job injuries of such workers. But make sure you keep enough “distance” from those workers so they’ll keep their independent-contractor status …

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

03/08/2007

HR Law 101: Workers’ compensation insurance provides compensation to employees who are injured or disabled on the job. It pays for medical treatment, loss of wages during a period of disability and compensation for permanent disability or disfigurement …

Use the right words to silence pay-Related gripes

03/01/2007

How do employees at your organization feel about their compensation? If the answer is “Not good,” a bit of explanation from you or their supervisors can calm those troubled waters and help reduce turnover …

Workers favor PPO, HMO over consumer-Directed plan

03/01/2007

Consumer-directed health plans may become all the rage in the future, but they’re slow to catch on so far …

When are overweight employees considered ‘Disabled’?

03/01/2007

Is obesity a disability? Until recently, the answer has been “Fat chance!” But that may be changing. A recent ADA court ruling opens the door to some types of obesity being defined as disabilities …