A workers advocacy group is pressing California lawmakers to reverse what it claims are drastic cuts in compensation for injured workers by telling the stories of the workers affected by the changes.
The group, VotersInjuredatWork.org, began its "Permanent Disability Horror Story" campaign yesterday, and said it will release a workers' story for each of the 118 days remaining in the state legislative session.
Its first worker vignette concerned a worker at a kitchen store, whom the group said had ruptured three disks in her back after grabbing a falling display shelf.
According to the organization, because of the injury Sandra Howell of Beaumont, Calif., now has two rods and six screws in her back and often requires the use of a wheel chair.
VotersInjuredatWork.org said that after a ruling that she is 100 percent disabled, Ms. Howell will receive a total of $30,940 in compensation for her injury under the new regulations for workers' compensation, as opposed to $490 per week for her lifetime under the prior system.
Today, the group published an account of a steel worker, Gustavo Ortiz, whom it said was rated 97 percent disabled after injuries resulting from a roof collapse.
Prior to the reductions in benefits, VotersInjuredatWork.org said Mr. Ortiz would have received a disability award of $135,355 and a $149 weekly payment for the rest of his life. Now, according to the group, he will receive $69,976 for his injuries.
"These real Californians deserve better," said Mark Hayes, president of VotersInjuredatWork.org. "The governor promised that he would not harm truly injured workers. These workers are truly injured; there's no dispute about that. And the governor's cuts harm them deeply. This must be fixed."
VotersInjuredatWork.org, with the California Applicants' Attorneys Association, has voiced strong opposition to the reforms enacted to stabilize the workers' compensation system in California, arguing that the changes benefit insurers at the expense of injured workers.
The reforms, including a new disability rating schedule based on medical criteria, were enacted to help bring down skyrocketing workers' compensation premiums for employers, and to help bring more competition into the state's market, where the state guaranty fund continues to control over 50 percent of the market.
Since the reforms were passed, premiums have fallen by roughly 26 percent, and state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has said he expects rates to continue falling as contracts are renewed in September.
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