Canfield officials raise questions about comp costs

Township employees will attend a meeting about safety and drug abuse.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Township Trustee Paul Moracco says he's not happy with how the township has been treated by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation the past few years.
Township Clerk Carmen Heasley said recently the township's annual premium for workers' compensation increased from $2,000 in 1999 to $45,000 in 2000 because of one claim for a person injured on the job. Since then, the township has paid about $40,000 each year for workers' compensation, even though no other claims have been filed, Heasley said.
BWC response
BWC spokesman Jeremy Jackson disputed officials' statements about how much the township was charged in premiums after the claim was filed. Jackson said the township was charged $22,000 in 2000, not $45,000. He added that the township was charged a total of $66,000 in premiums between 1999 and 2003.
The state also gave the township about $24,300 in rebates during that period, Jackson said. "We actually have saved the township quite a bit of money," he said.
Jackson added that the BWC was not responsible for the increase in the township's premium between 1999 and 2000. He said the premiums increased because the township was kicked out of a group purchasing program that is not controlled by the BWC.
The group program allows members to get reduced rates on workers' compensation programs. Canfield Township was kicked out of the program because of the one claim filed in 1999.
"It's unfortunate, from the township's standpoint, because they do have a good safety program," Jackson said. "But this isn't a case of the BWC sticking it to them."
Jackson noted that public officials can get a 25 percent discount on their workers' compensation premiums if they attend state "summits" about workplace safety. He said the state began holding the summits in 2001 when it found that claims against government employers were increasing faster than claims against private employers.
Canfield Township Trustee Bill Reese, however, wondered why the state has to charge so much in premiums when it can afford to give discounts. "It does not make any sense," he said.
Canfield Township officials have attended the summits in the past, although none are being held this year. Jackson said the state offered the discounts to encourage government officials to attend the summits and "understand the magnitude of the program."
The state also offers premium discounts to employers who take part in state safety programs, such as a drug-free workplace program. Canfield Township employees are slated to attend a meeting about drug abuse and workplace safety for the drug-free program Tuesday.
Heasley said the program could earn the township a 20 percent discount on its premiums.
hill@vindy.com