Workers’ Comp Plans Debated
Would administrative workers’ comp system save Oklahoma money?
By Randy Ellis
Oklahoma will be paying money to save money if it switches to an administrative workers’ compensation system. And the projected savings will far outstrip the extra costs, said Mike Seney, of The State Chamber of Oklahoma.
Workers’ compensation attorney Bob Burke disagrees. He said assumptions being made by backers of workers’ compensation legislation are far from certain, and the proposed law may violate the state constitution.
Their comments follow a letter written by the Workers’ Compensation Court administrator that indicated switching to an administrative system would require operating a dual workers’ compensation system for an indeterminate number of years.
Court Administrator Michael Clingman estimated operating a dual system would cost an extra $20 million over the first three years, or about $6.7 million a year.