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Poll results

As many as 20 workers' compensation bills are under consideration by the 129th Legislature. Those bills seek to revise some of the reforms enacted in 1992, which helped to move Maine from having the highest workers’ comp costs in the nation to now being closer to the middle. As reported by the Portland Press Herald, changes being considered include: Removing caps and restrictions on benefits; increasing the allowable time for workers to apply; lowering the burden of proof to claim mental health injuries; adding annual cost-of-living adjustments to payments. Support for the changes has been voiced by labor and lawyer groups. Opponents have voiced concern that the various proposals could jeopardize reductions in workers’ comp costs resulting from the 1992 reforms.


 

Do you think Maine’s workers’ compensation system needs to be reformed?
Yes (20%, 17 VOTES)
No (80%, 70 VOTES)
Poll Description

As many as 20 workers' compensation bills are under consideration by the 129th Legislature. Those bills seek to revise some of the reforms enacted in 1992, which helped to move Maine from having the highest workers’ comp costs in the nation to now being closer to the middle. As reported by the Portland Press Herald, changes being considered include: Removing caps and restrictions on benefits; increasing the allowable time for workers to apply; lowering the burden of proof to claim mental health injuries; adding annual cost-of-living adjustments to payments. Support for the changes has been voiced by labor and lawyer groups. Opponents have voiced concern that the various proposals could jeopardize reductions in workers’ comp costs resulting from the 1992 reforms.


 

  • 87 Votes
  • 8 Comments
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8 Comments

  • Chris Rector
    May 1, 2019

    The Workers Compensation System was reformed to allow it to become cost competitive with other states. We are "middle of the pack" in terms of cost and have achieved remarkable gains in worker safety. We must not revert to the old system of severe overweighting toward payments and unlimited "benefits" while not recognizing the need to be safe and, if injured, receive treatment and be encouraged to find meaningful work.

  • May 1, 2019
    The bills to change Workers' Comp are again a huge sign for future businesses to stay away from Maine. These bills are a boom for the plaintiff attorneys and employment lawyers. They are written in such a way as to shackle businesses and let workers make claims that can't be proved. Lifting caps off of workers' comp benefits will dramatically increase premiums for all of us. That increase will have to come from somewhere, and most likely will come out of wage increases. Increasing the allowable time to apply could invite fraud. The one you missed is not being able to let an employee go while a claim is made, regardless of performance issues. So, with a longer time to apply, and allowing mental health to be claimed, an employee who knows they are in trouble could claim anxiety in the workplace as a way to not get let go. All of these open the door for unjustified lawsuits against employers. I'm not suggesting that all employees will abuse this, but it is well documented that at least 15% of all workers' comp claims are fraudulent and many from repeat offenders. These laws are bad for Maine. We don't have a huge number of businesses in Maine, most of which are considered small businesses, and they pay a majority of the taxes.
  • May 1, 2019
    We have a system that works. The old system was a disaster. Let's not go backwards.