Changes Could Be Underway for OH's Workers' Comp System

Columbus, OH (WorkersCompensation.com) – Clayton Rep. Mike Henne said he is not married to the name of the bill he introduced this week at an Ohio Statehouse press conference.

Since introducing his bill, Rep. Henne spoke to WorkersCompensation.com about the legislation that has up to 20 Republican sponsors, proving Rep. Henne’s peers are on board with his proposed reform he said that stemmed from having his own insurance agency.

“When discussing challenges in their businesses, workers’ compensation is often mentioned. When I became (a) part of the legislature, workers’ compensation was one of my top priorities,” he said of his work with the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation (BWC).

The bill, which promises less bureaucracy and better safety programs, will involve a unique name change from the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to the Office of Employee Rehabilitation.

“The name change will be done over a period of time to minimize costs. The next steps will be working closely with the agency to set benchmarks and parameters for how they will accomplishment their goals. The reports that are mandated in the bill take place biennially to monitor its progress,” he said.

A Dayton Daily News piece, with coverage immediately after the press conference, reported on how Ohio collects $1.4 billion in annual premiums from more than 244,000 employers as the principal state-run workers’ compensation insurance trust in the United States. As a National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) participant, Rep. Henne said he has looked at the issues in Ohio's system and attempted to apply “some of the best practices from other states.”

“Since Ohio is only one of four states with a monopolistic system, our challenges are different than most states, so our solutions must be as well. The employee is a key component to any business,” he said, adding an injured worker out of employment hurts everyone. “Keeping them safe at the workplace, getting them the proper care when injured, and back to work as soon as possible is critically important for all involved.”

According to the Daily Dayton News report, the BWC, founded in 1912, maintains up to $27 billion in assets and “pays out roughly the same amount for lost wages and medical expenses incurred by injured workers.”

But the Representative hopes to change that.

“I think I have included enough in this bill to make it a heavy enough lift. Any time you include too much you run the risk of having something for everyone to find fault with. I also hear anecdotal stories about fraud in the system but it is a tough issue to deal with from the outside,” he said.

Rep. Henne notes how he looks forward to working with BWC Chief Executive Officer Sarah Morrison, saying she and “her staff are doing all they can to prevent fraud and I'd love to work with them, with any legislative help if possible. 

BWC spokesperson Tony Gottschlich has reviewed the bill. “This is Rep. Henne’s bill and we’re taking a look at it, but we have no position on the bill right now,” he said. 

Rep. Henne said Ohio was notoriously bad at providing workers’ compensation for many years, until this past decade under Director Steve Buehrer and Morrison, who are now steering it in the right direction. “By working with BWC, we’ve collected data highlighting who is accepting BWC patients, how quickly patients are getting rehabilitated, who is receiving benefits and how/when, and have implemented those reforms in the bill to better address injured workers’ needs,” he said.

Rep. Henne said his reforms will refocus the agency’s efforts to what matters most: Preventing injuries, getting injured employees the care and rehabilitation they need, and removing the stigma of a government bureaucracy from this entirely state-run system. 

“We will be dropping the bill this morning and it should have a bill number next week. The title can be Improving Ohio’s Workers’ Compensation System,” he said.

Share This Article: