Benefit cuts never mentioned in Oklahoma workers' comp arguments

Regarding “Workers' comp reforms need to be preserved” (Our Views, Sept. 14): It was a little disheartening to see The Oklahoman join countless politicians and business lobbyists who repeatedly tout workers' compensation reforms while never mentioning the massive benefit cuts enacted in the 2013 reforms that dropped Oklahoma workers benefits to the lowest in the nation.

There hasn't been one penny of decrease in the insurance filings adopted to date that were due to the “administrative system succeeding in driving down costs.” All cost reductions were the result of cuts in benefits to workers.

The recent National Council on Compensation Insurance rate filing scheduled to take effect next year might include some savings based upon more conservative judges and commissioners since it was based upon experience in 2013 and 2014, but the lion's share were savings realized from changes not previously credited in earlier rate filings, such as the deferral of benefits you cite as a success and an abuse in the former system.

That so-called “abuse” is the law in all 49 other states! No state requires forfeiture of permanent disability benefits simply because a worker returns to work for some period. Think about it. A worker who suffers a severe injury is not allowed to sue for negligence to help pay for years of possibly diminished earnings, receiving instead among the lowest permanent partial disability benefits in the country under the new Oklahoma benefit structure. But even that is deferred if offered a job for a short period of time. Thankfully, the Oklahoma Supreme Court earlier this year found the deferral unconstitutional.

http://newsok.com/point-of-view-benefit-cuts-never-mentioned-in-oklahoma-workers-comp-arguments/article/5518497 (short article)