AUGUSTA – Maine has more disabling, lost-time work force injuries than other states, according to an actuarial firm hired to run the comparisons for 2004 and 2005.
Adjusting for the types of jobs here, the latest figures showed 1,459 disabling case claims for every 100,000 workers in Maine, compared with 1,359 in a nationwide average that included most states.
The Workers’ Compensation Board voted unanimously Tuesday to send the actuary’s numbers to public hearing.
When Maine’s claim rate is below the national average, the law states that injured workers are to receive an additional year of compensation benefits. With the high numbers, the actuary is recommending against an increase in either year.
About 15,000 people in Maine collect a disability check based on a workplace injury each week in Maine.
For all but the worst cases, those benefits stop at seven years.
The date for the public hearing has not been set. It should be within the next several weeks, according to Executive Director Paul Dionne.
He pointed to the quick preliminary work on the issue as a sign of success under a new structure created by Gov. John Baldacci last year.
“This (benefit extensions) was the one issue that gridlocked the board going back three years now,” Dionne said. “This is probably the most important issue the board deals with year in and year out.”
By law, once benefits reach a 10-year cap, the annual review will stop.
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