Get your safety measures up to par, employers! Ready or not, 5-6 million workers (who were previously loathe to file worker’s comp claims) may be gaining legal status.
Until now, these workers were shy to draw the attention of government and healthcare workers for fear that their legal status might be discovered. (This is nowhere more true than in non E verify states.) However, President Barack Obama announced a program of “deferred action” on November 20, 2014, which permits roughly 45% of illegal immigrants to legally stay and work in the United States. If immigration reform goes through according to his plan, the floodgates may open to higher worker’s comp claims.
For business owners, it may be hard to see this as anything but a threat, but there is an opportunity here: there has never been a better time to assure your workers health and safety. Take control of the situation by taking as many precautions as you can to protect all of your workers to prevent a steep rise in Worker’s Comp claims.