In New York, injured employees who get hurt on-the-job can make workers’ compensation claims for benefits with help from a New York City work injury lawyer. Employers are expected to either buy insurance coverage or to self-insure so benefits are available for injured employees after an accident at work. State law determines what coverage employers are required to obtain and state laws establish how the workers’ compensation benefits system operates.
The last major reforms to state workers’ compensation laws in New York passed a decade ago, and WSKG News reports that there are currently negotiations underway to potentially reform some parts of the workers compensation system in New York State. Companies are eagerly awaiting any news of reforms in order to make their business plans for the upcoming year.
Will Workers’ Comp be Reformed in New York?
According to a previous article in WSKG News, there has been a push to reform workers’ comp rules in New York State since the last legislation passed 10 years ago. Workers’ compensation insurance rates within New York are the third highest rates in the United States, and employers want reforms to help bring down costs. There are also efforts to reform workers’ compensation by advocacy groups who are concerned about the level of care that is being provided to workers and who are concerned about the time that it takes for workers’ compensation claims in the state to be reviewed.
Another big issue is that there is continual uncertainty each year for businesses who do not know what to expect for the total amount of workers’ comp insurance costs. Many companies would like reforms to make these costs more predictable so companies can plan for them, rather than having to wait through legislative negotiations each year to know what their insurance expense will be.
Hopefully, if reforms pass, changes will be made to the workers’ comp system that benefit workers who get hurt on-the-job, especially as a bipartisan bill to reform the workers’ compensation system is currently being pushed within the state legislature. Any changes that occur are likely to have the biggest impact on workers in manufacturing and on other blue-collar workers. As WSKG News reported, a Department of Labor spokesperson who analyzes labor statistics indicated that workers in blue collar jobs have higher rates of work injury due to the fact the jobs are much more physical.
When changes to the system do occur, employers must understand and comply with their new obligations and employees must understand their new rights so they can ensure they are able to get the full benefits they are entitled to after an accident on-the-job causes them harm.
Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff can provide advice and advocacy for injured workers. Work injury attorneys closely follow any regulatory changes so they can provide the most updated information for injured workers who may need to rely upon the workers’ compensation system to pay their medical bills and provide them with income after they get hurt at work.
