By Dave Thompson
Bismarck, ND – The chairman of the House committee that has oversight of North Dakota's workers' compensation is suggesting a review of some workers comp benefit denials.
Rep. George Keiser (R-Bismarck) says his proposal could help lawmakers as they try to fine-tune state laws affecting injured workers. He is suggesting a six-month window for the reviews, and the cases would be reviewed by 5 Workforce Safety and Insurance employees who were not involved in the specific cases.
"If there are legitimate claims being denied, we need to get those benefits to the injured workers," said Keiser. "If that's the case, we need to address it."
WSI critics aren't impressed.
"It's damage control," said Ed Christenson of Bismarck, an injured worker active in a campaign to change WSI's governance. "The fox is in the henhouse."
An internal WSI auditor says some claims have been unfairly denied.