BURBANK : Workers’ Comp to Be Workshop Topic

Reform of the state’s system for aiding injured workers will be discussed at a workshop sponsored by Assemblyman Pat Nolan (R-Glendale) at the Burbank Holiday Inn on Thursday.

“This is definitely a hot topic in the Valley,” said Mike MeCey, Nolan’s spokesman. MeCey said complaints to Nolan about the workers’ compensation system have been building in the last two to three years.

More than 7,500 invitations to the workshop have been sent out to businessmen and businesswomen in Burbank and Glendale.

“Workers’ compensation reform is needed because they’re paying more for their insurance than their companies can afford,” MeCey said. Those conditions drive away businesses and deter new ones from moving in, MeCey said.

MeCey cited figures showing that California businesses pay some of the higher rates in the nation for workers’ compensation insurance, even though benefits received by employees are among the lowest in the country.

The workshop will include topics such as how to detect and combat fraud, as well as presenting an overview of proposed reform legislation. Nolan will speak at the workshop with two insurance investigators, MeCey said.

The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Burbank Holiday Inn, 150 E. Angeleno Ave.