Workers' Compensation in California
History and Overview
Workers' compensation in the United States grew out of the Progressive Era early in the 20th century when the number of workplace injuries was rising and there was little effective legislation to insure fair reparation to employees or to shield companies from expensive lawsuits. As a result, workers' compensation was initiated in many states with California being one of the first to adopt such a system. California's first workers' compensation law was established under the Compensation Act in 1911 (the Roseberry Act), 1911 Cal. 399, in which participation was voluntary for employers. A compulsory system was established two years later as the Workers' Compensation, Insurance and Safety Act of 1913 (the Boynton Act), 1913 Cal. 176 (see California Assembly Legislative Documents Archive), which required employers to provide benefits for all employees on the job and generally prohibited employees from suing their employers over their injuries. The Act blocked employees from recovering money for pain and suffering or from seeking punitive damages, and called for the establishment of a competitive state insurance fund. It remains the foundation for workers' compensation in California today.
The workers' compensation system has been revised and reformed repeatedly since the passage of the Boynton Act in 1913. Legislators have grappled with issues of inflation, benefit increases, fraudulent injury claims, and fluctuations in the economy. In April 2004 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the latest reform attempt, SB 899, into law. It remains to be seen how this latest attempt will fare in a system that has grown increasingly complex and expensive over the years.
Background Reading
California Workers' Compensation Insurance Market Overview,
California Dept. of Insurance, 2003.
Meaningful Reform of Workers' Compensation in California. San Francisco: California Dept. of Industrial Relations, 1995.
Peterson, Mark A., et al.
Compensating Permanent Workplace Injuries : a Study of the California System. Santa Monica, CA: Rand, 1998.
Shor, Glenn Merrill.
The Evolution of Workers' Compensation policy in California, 1911-1990. (Ph.D. diss. University of California, Berkeley, 1990)
Stern, Rachel Kaganoff, et al.
indings and Recommendations on California's Permanent Partial Disability System: Executive Summary. Santa Monica, CA: Rand, 1997.
Early Legislation
Compensation Act, 1911 (the Roseberry Act), 1911 Cal. 399.* Workmens' Compensation, Insurance and Safety Act, 1913 (the Boynton Act), 1913 Cal. 176.* *Online versions can be found in the California Assembly Legislative Documents Archive.
The Basics of California Workers' Compensation
How Workers' Compensation Works
All California employers must provide workers' compensation benefits to their employees under California Labor Code Section 3700. There are five basic types of workers' compensation benefits - medical care, temporary disability benefits, permanent disability benefits, vocational rehabilitation services, and death benefits.
How Is Coverage Structured in a Workers' Compensation Policy?
Workers' compensation coverage is offered under Part One of a workers' compensation insurance policy. In Part One, the insurance company agrees to promptly pay all benefits and compensation due to an injured worker. Employers Liability insurance can provide important coverage in addition to workers' compensation insurance. Employers Liability is offered under Part Two of a workers' compensation and Employers Liability Insurance policy. Employers Liability Part Two protects the employer against instances where an employee's injury or disease is not considered work related.
How Is Workers' Compensation Insurance Purchased?
Employers must purchase workers' compensation insurance from either a licensed insurance company or through the State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF). SCIF is a state-operated entity that exists in order to transact workers' compensation on a non-profit basis. SCIF competes with private workers' compensation insurance companies for business and also operates as the insurer of last resort if private companies are not willing to offer workers' compensation insurance
What Happens to an Employer Who Does Not Purchase Workers' Compensation Insurance?
Employers who fail to purchase workers' compensation insurance are in violation of the California Labor Code. The Director of the Department of Industrial Relations has the authority to issue a stop order against any company who is discovered to be unlawfully uninsured for workers' compensation. A stop order closes down business operations until workers' compensation insurance is secured.
How Are Workers' Compensation Premiums Calculated?
Classification
Workers' compensation premium calculation is based upon how employees are classified according to their specific work duties and the rate assigned to each corresponding employee classification. Classifications are developed and assigned by the workers' compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) in most cases.
Rating
Workers' compensation insurers assign a specific rate to each occupational classification code. Currently, California workers' compensation insurers operate under an "open" rating system. This means that individual companies set rates based on their ability to adequately cover losses and expenses in each classification (occupational business class). Open rating requires that all workers' compensation insurers file their rates and all applicable supplementary rate information with the California Dept. of Insurance. Rates must be adequate to maintain the solvency of an insurance company. The Insurance Commissioner will not approve rates if they are inadequate to cover an insurer's losses and expenses, unfairly discriminatory, or create a monopoly in the marketplace. The rate itself is expressed in dollars and cents and is multiplied by each $100 of payroll per classification.
Insurance Claims
The California Dept. of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers' Compensation assists employers and employees with workers' compensation claims. When disputes arise regarding a workers' compensation claim, the Information and Assistance Unit attempts to resolve the dispute. If they are unable to resolve the dispute, then a formal application for adjudication can be filed with the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board has exclusive jurisdiction over dispute resolution.
Issues That Complicate the Workers' Compensation System in California
Despite what appears to be a straightforward and well orchestrated system, there are many issues that complicate the efficient and cost-effective implementation of workers' compensation in California, among those issues are:- the cost to employers of insurance premiums;
- type and scope of coverage; determination of injury or illness;
- benefit amounts;
- cost of vocational rehabilitation; fraud on the part of doctors, workers and employers;
- timeliness of benefit payments; uncovered workers; attorneys' fees.
Players Involved in the Implementation of the Workers' Compensation Program
There many players involved in the many facets of the implementation of the workers' compensation system in California. They include:- injured workers
- labor unions and workers' organizations
- insurance companies
- employers and employer organizations
- attorneys and their organizations
- the medical profession in the broadest definition of 'medical'
- the state agencies that regulate and implement the program: workers' compensation Insurance Rating Bureau; Dept. of Insurance; Dept. of Industrial Relations and its various divisions, including the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and the Division of Workers' Compensation; the State Compensation Insurance Fund, and the Insurance Commissioner.
Reform 1989-2003
One of the most significant legislative efforts to reform the workers' compensation system was the Margolin-Bill Greene Workers' Compensation Reform Act of 1989, which was aimed at lawyers and doctors who were perceived, especially by employers, as being too costly to the system. While doctors experienced a reduction in fees under the reform, lawyers actually saw a rise in new-client calls rather than a decline. Critics maintained that the system had grown more complicated, not less. For a thorough history of workers' compensation policy in California through 1990 see Shor, The Evolution of Workers' Compensation Policy in California, 1911-1990, op. cit.
In 1993, the Legislature passed an employer- and labor-supported package of reform bills which targeted perceived fraud, the rising number of "stress" cases and the costs associated with vocational rehabilitation benefits. Fraud penalties were increased and psychiatric cases over stress were eliminated in many cases. Vocational rehabilition was capped at $16,000 per employee.
Legislation passed in 1994 SB 30 (Johnston, D-Stockton) removed the floor on premiums which insurance companies specializing in the sale of workers' compensation insurance could charge. Effective January 1, 1995, insurance companies could sell workers' compensation coverage for whatever they wanted, reportedly 7-15% below cost. Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush reported that employers paid $3.9 billion less in insurance premiums in 1995 than in 1993. By 1997 insurance companies dealing in workers' compensation policies were beginning to go out of business or were taken over by the California Dept. of Insurance when audits revealed large shortfalls in cash reserves to cover claims.
Although tax rates for unemployment insurance decreased 3 years in a row during the last 3 years of the Wilson administration (1995-97), and insurers were charging employers less for coverage, workers' disability benefits had not changed since 1991. When Gray Davis was elected governor in 1998 he pledged to support legislation increasing workers' benefits. However, between 1999 and 2001 Governor Davis vetoed three measures to raise workers' benefits, citing unacceptable costs to employers and the risk of driving jobs out of California. The 2001 measure, SB 71 (Burton, D-San Francisco) was widely believed to be a compromise that both business and labor would approve. However, Davis vetoed the legislation on the ground that the unexpectedly severe energy crisis was already a serious deterrent to job growth in California and he was unwilling to add more costs to employers for workers' compensation benefits.
Gray Davis faced re-election in 2002. On November 28, 2001 the California Federation of Labor endorsed him on the understanding that he would re-open talks on workers' compensation reform. On February 15, 2002 Davis signed AB 749 (Calderon, D-Norwalk).
AB 749 increased minimum and maximum weekly payments for temporary and permanent disability in addition to doubling death benefits for workers' families. It assessed harsher penalties for failure of businesses to carry workers' compensation insurance and for fraud practiced by both employee and employer. Premiums for the state's largest provider of workers' compensation insurance were projected to decline an average of 2.9% in January, 2003. While critics said this fell far below the 14.9% cuts sought by state officials, many considered it a more straightforward piece of legislation than many of its predecessors.
In 2003 additional reforms were included in two bills signed by Governor Davis in the waning days of his administration. AB 227 and SB 228 established standardized rates for every medical care provider, including outpatient surgery centers, set fee schedules for pharmaceuticals, capped the number of visits to chiropracters and physical therapists, and required "utilization reviews" which would set care standards for injuries. Although hailed as a major overhaul of workers' compensation by Davis, who maintained that the bills would cut over $6 billion from workers' compensation costs, business leaders and Republicans in the Legislature questioned the savings estimates. The Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, the leading insurance industry research group, calculated that the reforms would save only $3 to $5 billion. Compensation costs in California have risen from $9 billion in 1993 to $32 billion in 2002.
Despite these reforms, workers' compensation in California remained one of the most expensive systems in the country, costing employers more than in any other state and providing the third lowest benefit to workers.
Reform 2004
One of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's major initiatives following his October 2003 election was reforming the workers' compensation system. In his State of the State message on January 6, 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger addressed the workers' compensation issue:
"... we must fix the state's business climate. And we must start with workers' compensation reform. Our workers' comp costs are the highest in the nation - nearly twice the national average.California employers are bleeding red ink from the workers' comp system. Our high costs are driving away jobs and businesses. My proposal brings California's workers' comp standards and costs in line with the rest of the country.To heal injured workers, it emphasizes the importance of health care and doctors rather than lawyers and judges. It requires nationally recognized guidelines for permanent disability. And it provides for innovative approaches. I call on the legislators to deliver real workers' comp reform to my desk by March 1st. Modest reform is not enough. If modest reform is all that lands on my desk, I am prepared to take my workers' comp solution directly to the people and I will put it on the ballot in November."
The bills that emerged from the special legislative session Schwarzenegger called at the end of November, SBX4 3 (Poochigian, R-Fresno), and ABX4 1 (Maldonado, R-Santa Maria) proposed bundling workers' compensation coverage with regular health care that would be insured by managed-care companies such as Kaiser Permanente. In early December, 2003 Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi proposed his own workers'compensation reform plan which he said would cut costs and improve treatment of injured workers. He called for tougher fraud enforcement and subjecting uninsured employers to felony charges. Other features resembled the Governor's plan, such as creation of a review panel to assess whether an injured worker was permanently disabled. As of early February 2004, employers had not yet seen the drop in the cost of premiums promised by the Davis-signed legislation and Governor Schwarzenegger had vetoed two bills that dealt with pieces of the workers' compensation issue. In his veto messages the governor reiterated his commitment to broad, not piecemeal, reform of the California workers' compensation system. After his successful campaign to pass Propositions 57 and 58 in the March 2004 primary, Governor Schwarzenegger met with legislative leaders to start work on an overhaul of the workers' compensation system. It was understood that the Governor would campaign for passage of a workers' compensation reform initiative for the November 2004 ballot if a satisfactory compromise could not be reached. The initiative, called the Workers' Compensation Reform and Accountability Act, was already in the signature gathering phase and was strongly supported by California Chamber of Commerce and other business groups.
Under intense pressure to arrive at a compromise and working late into the night of April 14, 2004, a legislative conference committee, working in cooperation with the governor, approved a workers' compensation reform package, SB 899. The full legislature overwhelmingly approved SB 899 on April 16, and the governor signed it into law on April 19. Schwarzenegger prevailed on two key provisions: insurance rates were not regulated, and injured workers were required to select doctors from a pool of doctors approved by employers and insurers. The law also tightened eligibility for permanent disability payments, capped payments for temporary disability at two years, and permitted injured workers to seek immediate medical attention paid for by the employer. Labor and attorneys' groups criticized the law for lacking rate regulation and for not giving injured workers enough choice in choosing a doctor. Democrats quickly introduced legislation in both houses to regulate rates charged by insurance companies (ABX4 16 in the Assembly and SBX4 16 in the Senate).
2005 Reform
In January of 2005, State Sen. Richard Alacron, who heads the Senate Labor and Industrial Committe introduced SB 46 which would permit a panel of officials picked by the governor, insurance commissioner and attorney general to create a limit on how much insurers can charge for workers' compensation coverage. Alacron claims that insurers have been reaping higher profits while failing to make reductions in the rates they charge for coverage. In addition, he says that injured workers have received cuts in their benefits since workers' compensation reforms were passed in 2004. Critics of the proposal charge that additional regulations will scare insurers away from the state. Workers' compensation premiums have dropped an estimated 10.4 percent since the middle of 2003. The cost to insurers is estimated to have dropped by 22.4 percent, according to the state Insurance Department.
In addition to SB 46, three other workers' compensation bills were introduced in the Spring of 2005. AB 681 by Assemblyman Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, would hold a 5 percent cut in physician fees through 2010. Under current law, the state can set new fees next year, which some critics fear could lead to bigger reductions. The freeze would allow doctors to negotiate new fees without losing more money in the meantime. AB 1549 by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood would allow acupuncturists to become qualified medical providers. It would also allow specialists such as chiropractors, psychologists, and dentists to be defined as independent medical reviewers. Finally, SB 538 by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, would mandate an evaluation of new medical provider networks and health care organizations to discover how adequately they provide treatment to injured workers.
Legislation Summary, 1989-2005
AB 276, 1989. Margolin-Bill Greene Workers' Compensation Reform Act, 1989 Cal. 892.*
Workers' Compensation Package, 1993
AB 110. Workers' compensation, 1993 Cal. 121.
AB 119. Workers' compensation: post termination benefits, 1993 Cal. 118.
AB 1300. Workers' compensation: Board certified doctors, 1993 Cal. 120.
SB 983. Workers' compensation: collective bargaining agreements, 1993 Cal. 117.
SB 484. Workers' compensation, 1993 Cal. 119.
SB 1005. Workers' compensation, 1993 Cal. 227.
SB 30, 1994. Workers' compenstion, 1994 Cal. 228.
SB 71, 2001. Workers' compensation: administration and benefits, [Vetoed].
AB 749, 2002. Workers' compensation: administration and benefits, 2002 Cal. 6.
SB 228, 2003. Workers' compensation, 2003 Cal. 639.
AB 227, 2003. Workers' compensation, 2003 Cal. 635.
SB 899, 2004. Workers' compensation, 2004 Cal. 34.
SB 46 , 2005. Workers' compensation insurance.
AB 681, 2005. Workers' compensation: official medical fees schedule.
AB 1549, 2005. Workers' compensation: qualified medical evaluators and independent medical reviewers.
SB 538, 2005. Workers' compensation.
*Online version can be found in the California Assembly Legislative Documents Archive.
Selected Websites
California State Websites
California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation
Division of Workers'Compensation
California Department of Industrial Relations.
Workers' Compensation Information
California Department of Insurance.
California Employment Development Department
California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board
The California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (CUIAB) conducts hearings of cases concerning claims for unemployment and disability benefits.
Labor Occupational Health Program
University of California, Berkeley Projects: workers' compensation
Additional Websites
California Chamber of Commerce
California Applicants' Attorneys Association "Serving California Injured Workers Since 1966"
California Coalition on Workers' Compensation
A statewide coalition of public and private employers who advocate repairing California's workers' compensation system .
California Workers' Compensation Institute
Incorporated in 1964 as a private, nonprofit organization of insurers and self-insured employers conducting and communication research and analysis to improve the operation of the California workers' compensation system.
Continuing Education of the Bar
Internet Resources: Labor and Employment
John Burton's Workers' Compensation Resources
Contains links to state legislation and Workers' Compensation Policy Review.
Rand Corporation, Institute for Civil Justice
Workers' compensation links.
Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Disability and workers' compensation "Research Hub"
Workers' Compensation Action Network
Group of employers and employer groups established to inform Californians "about exorbitant workers' comp costs" and to provide information and tools for constructive solutions.
Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California
"Has been the premier provider of sound statistical data for insurers, agents and brokers, regulators, employers and others within the insurance community and has served as the designated statistical agent of the insurance commissioner for over half a century."
Reports, Journal Articles and Surveys
Neumark, David.
The Workers' Compensation Crisis in California: A Primer. San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California, Jan. 2005.
Reville, Robert T., Seabury, Seth; Neuhauser, Frank.
Evaluation of California's Permanent Disability Rating Schedule. Rand Institute For Civil Justice, Feb. 6, 2004. "California Employers Hopeful Schwarzenegger Will Reform Comp. System," Business Insurance, v.37, i41 p3, Oct. 13, 2003.
Workers' Compensation Medical Care in California Fact Sheets. California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation, Aug. 2003.
Robitaille, Stephen
"Struggling to Fix Workers' Comp," California Journal, v. 34, no. 7, July 2003.
Wynn, Barbara O.
Adopting Medicare Fee Schedules: Considerations for the California Workers' Compensation Program. (MR-1776.0-IC) Santa Monica: Rand Corp., June 2003.
Pace, Nicholas M., et al.
Improving Dispute Resolution for California's Injured Workers. (MR-1425-ICJ) Santa Monica: Rand Corp., 2003
Miller, Christopher
"Deciphering the Long-Awaited Workers' Comp Reforms," CPER, no.153, April 2002.
Thomason, Terry; Schmidle, Timothy P.; Burton, John F. Jr.
Workers' Compensation: Benefits, Costs and Safety under Alternative Insurance Arrangements. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. 2001.
"SB 996 Would Increase Workers' Comp. Benefits," Claims, v.48, March, 2000.
"RAND Sees Benefit Disparity in California Comp. System," Business Insurance, v.34, July 17, 2000.
Permanent Disability At Private, Self-Insured Firms: a Study of Earnings Loss, Replacement and Return to Work for Workers' Compensation Claimants. (Mr-1268-ICJ) Santa Monica: Rand Corp., 2000.
Wojcik, Joanne.
"Report Blasts Audits of California Comp.: Workers" Compensation Report Released by the Commission on Health and Safety and workers' compensation," Business Insurance, v. 32, no. 27, July 6, 1998.
Compensating Workplace Injuries: a Study of the California System. (Rand Institute for Civil Justice, Research Brief). Santa Monica: Rand Corp., 1998.
Johnson, William G., Baldwin, Marjorie L., Burton, John F. Jr.
"Why is the Treatment of Work-Related Injuries So Costly? New Evidence from California," Alert, v. 33, no. 1, Spring, 1996.
Bader, Charles
Seeds of a New Crisis: Are the 1993 Workers' Compensation Cost-Containment Reforms Working in 1996? Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California. 1996.
Wilkie, Dana.
"Workers' Comp. on the Mend," State Legislatures, v. 21, no. 8, Sept. 1995. "Change in Workers' Comp Insurance Rate Law Pending," Alert, v. 19, no. 24, July 23, 1993.
"Workers' Comp Reform at Last!" Alert, v. 19, no. 23, July 19, 1993.
Robinson, Cynthia.
Lowering Workers' Compensation Insurance Costs by Reducing Injuries and Illnesses at Work. Sacramento, CA : California Dept. of Insurance, Policy, Research & Special Projects, Feb. 1993. 131 p.
Selected Newspaper Articles
The following citations include links to full-text online when available. For more info, see Tips for Finding Full-Text Articles.
Osterman, Rachel.
"Workers' comp suit in high court," Sacramento Bee, May 31, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Stewart, Jill [Opinion].
"Fixing workers' comp.: at last," Long Beach Press-Telegram, May 8, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Chan, Gilbert.
"Unions sue over workers' comp.," Sacramento Bee, May 6, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Lohse, Deborah.
"Worker comp. gripes pile up: Critics of reforms target governor's nominee Hoch," San Jose Mercury News, Apr. 26, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Lifshner, Marc.
"Workers' Comp Costs Questioned: Insurers haven't passed most of their savings on to the state's employers, Garamendi says," Los Angeles Times, Apr. 26, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Walter, Dan.
"Schwarzenegger's another captive of the workers' comp tar pit," Sacramento Bee, Apr. 20, 2005.
Newsbank (UCB)
Chan, Gilbert.
"Assembly speaker ready to fight over workers' comp: Nunez threatens to delay budget talks unless the governor recasts new rules," Sacramento Bee, Apr. 20, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Chan, Gilbert.
"Workers' comp. haunts capitol: Despite landmark law, a prickly issue roars back to life," Sacramento Bee, Apr. 19, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Bruce, Allison.
"Workers' comp still hot issue," Ventura County Star, Mar. 31, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
"Workers' comp rules," Ventura County Star, Mar. 31, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Chan, Gilbert.
"Workers' comp debates not over: Dozens of legislative bills could reopen key areas of system," Sacramento Bee, Mar. 8, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Lifsher, Marc.
"Bill Aims to Regulate Workers' Comp Rates: The legislation is likely to be vetoed by the governor, who killed a similar plan last year," Los Angeles Times, Jan. 6, 2005.
NewsBank (UCB)
Howard, John.
"Workers' Compensation 2004," California Journal, v. 35, no. 6 (June 2004), p. 30-33.
"The Great Compromise of 2004: Overhaul or Pitfall: Opposing Views on the Outcome of California's Workers' Compensation Agreement," California Journal, v. 35, no. 6 (June 2004), p. 34-39.
Opposing views by Tom Rankin, California Federation of Labor, and by Andrew Gloger and Lawrence McQuillan, Pacific Research Institute.
Hubbell, John M.; Gledhill, Lynda.
"Governor Beams over Workers' Comp Overhaul," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 17, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Lifsher, Marc; Lee, Don.
"Workers' Comp Bill Elicits Wary Optimism," Los Angeles Times, Apr. 17, 2004.
Los Angeles Times
"Highlights of the Worker's Compensation Reform Package," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 15, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Wasserman, Jim.
"Democrats Introduce Workers' Comp Rate Regulation Bill," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 15, 2004.
Wasserman, Jim.
"Committee Passes Landmark Workers' Compensation Reform Bill," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 15, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Wasserman, Jim.
"California Lawmakers Reach Tentative Deal on Workers' Compensation Plan," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 14, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
"Highlights of Workers' Compensation Reform," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 14, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Hubbell, John M.
"Workers' Comp Bill Excludes Rate Regulation: Lawmakers Stave Off Ballot Measure Backed by Schwarzenegger by Waiting to Decide How to Set Insurance Premiums," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 14, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
"Governor Readies Campaign For Calif Workers' Compensation Reform," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 13, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
"Workers' Comp Bill Changes Stalled: Parties Coming Together, But Bill's Language Lagging," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 13, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Chorneau, Tom.
"Sacramento Leaders Say Deal Close on Workers' Compensation Reform," San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 3, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Hubbell, John M.
"Governor Says Workers' Comp Deal on Track: He Anticipates a Compromise by End of Week," San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 31, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Abate, Tom
"Politics: Workers' Compensation Crisis: System Seen as Ripe for Overhaul: Lawmakers Tackle Reforms; Ballot Measure Threatened," San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 29, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Cal-OSHA Reporter. San Pablo, CA: Sten-O-Press.
Published weekly.
Cal-OSHA Reporter
Abate, Tom and Hubbell, John M.
"Garamendi Wants Grip on Workers' Comp," San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 24, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Gledhill, Lynda.
"Legislators Wrangle over Workers' Compensation," San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 11, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Hubbell, John M.
"Workers' Comp Reform Could End up on November Ballot," San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 1, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
"Survey: Voters Overwhelmingly Embrace Workers' Comp Reform to Reduce Costs, Save Jobs; Voters Poised to Pass Cost-cutting Reform Measure If Legislature Fails to Act," News and Events (California Chamber of Commece), Feb. 26, 2004.
Cal. Chamber of Commerce News and Events
Lifsher, Marc.
"Tribal Insurer in State Probe: Investigation of an Indian-run Firm Puts It in the Middle of a Political Storm over Workers' Comp Costs," Los Angeles Times, Feb. 17, 2004.
Newsbank
Abate, Tom.
"Workers' Comp Battle Heats up: State Officials Jump into Fray over Proposed Reforms," San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 11, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Herrera, Paul.
"Special Report: Worker's Compensation, Trying to repair a Broken System," Press Enterprise [Riverside, CA], Feb. 8, 2004.
Press Enterprise
Abate, Tom.
"A New Push on Workers' Comp: Governor Invites Labor, Employers, Insurers to Meet," San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 8, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
"Schwarzenneger's Bill Could Face First Test Next Week," San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 6, 2004.
San Francisco Chronicle
Prepared by the staff of the IGS Library.
Send comments to igsl@berkeley.edu.
History and Overview
- Background Reading
- Early Legislation
Basics of California kers mpensation
Reform 1989-2003
Reform 2004
Legislation Summary
Selected Websites
- California State Websites
- Additional Websites
Reports, Journal Articles and Surveys
Selected Newspaper Articles