Workers comp reform will help create jobs

Illinois lawmakers can truly help our state and local economy by reforming the state’s workers’ compensation laws. These are the laws that determine how medical costs are paid if workers are injured. Unfortunately, in Illinois the laws are seriously stacked against employers and the higher costs hurt job creation.

Illinois can take principled, yet practical, steps to develop a smarter and fairer workers’ compensation system.

First, we need to stop abuses in the system. The law should require standards for determining impairment and level of disability, and the injury must be proven by a preponderance of the evidence. The law should also require that at the time of injury, a worker must be alcohol and drug free to be eligible for workers’ compensation.

Currently, the system does not take into account whether a worker who is injured was alcohol or drug free when the injury occurred. These are major loopholes in the current law.

Secondly, the law should provide tools to help employers control medical care costs. Employers should be permitted to utilize preferred provider organizations to deliver care, and the fee schedule for care must be reduced to reflect reality.

Finally, we need to put an end to fraudulent workers’ compensation claims. Workers’ compensation rates in Illinois are among the highest in the nation. If we are interested in beginning the process of restoring our state’s ability to create jobs, our rates must move closer to the national average.

These three principles are part of a longer list of reforms that would greatly improve the workers’ compensation system in Illinois.

After the state just raised taxes during an economic downturn, it is critical that lawmakers adopt serious reforms to help create jobs in Illinois.

Craig A. Lamp

Elgin