Taking Workers Comp forum to Gillette

We'll take our Workers' Compensation forum to the Campbell County Public Library in Gillette on Sept 10.

Staged with the great help of Marcia Shanor of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association, a group of WTLA members and Kim Floyd of the AFL-CIO, these forums have proven to be an effective way to quickly outline the Workers Comp controversy.

"... these forums have proven to be an effective way to quickly outline the Workers Comp controversy."

Once again, speakers will explain the genesis of the program, the trade-off workers made in return for assurances that their health would be efficiently restored and any disabilities properly compensated. They'll talk about how the program works — or does not work. Kim Floyd will lay out how the program bureaucracy has become very difficult to navigate for some injured workers. We also expect to hear from several injured workers who will detail their experiences with the system.

Wyoming Public Radio reporter Addy Goss has put together two reports on the program and controversy surrounding it. You can go online to listen to the latest report aired Aug. 12.

The Gillette forum will precede by a few days the Joint Labor Health and Social Services Committee's meeting Sept. 15 and 16 in Casper. (The agenda has not been posted yet but will be available eventually on this link.) The committee will consider draft legislation. We expect proposals to raise the death benefit, add cost of living adjustment to permanent disability settlements, and other positive changes. We hope the committee will direct the agency to make addressing injured workers needs their top priority - rather than the cost containment philosophy that has driven it in the past.

We also expect legislative proposals to limit co-employee liability, a development we'll oppose. It's an example of how opening state statutes does not always lead to positive reform.