Columbiana County cuts workers’ comp claims

LISBON — Columbiana County has saved an estimated $50,700 in claims to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation so far this year.

Commissioner Penny Traina said Wednesday the savings are a first step in cutting costs even more.

Traina took over the oversight of the workers’ compensation program for the county when she was appointed commissioner earlier this year.

Traina said that figure is what the county has saved so far this year.

The county spends about $411,000 on workers’ compensation a year, according to the county auditor’s office.

Traina credited county officials for working together to reduce claims.

The savings come because officials have had educational programs to advise workers on avoiding injuries but to report them if they occur.

That alone has resulted in the savings, Traina said.

The county also plans to have programs to prevent drug abuse, which should drop the county’s workers’ compensation costs by an additional 5 percent, she added.

The county doesn’t have a large number of claims. It does have several cases dating to the early 1990s that may eventually include partial permanent disability payments, however. But officials said those kinds of backlogged cases are not unusual.