Just How Unfair Is Workers' Compensation?

Bob Carroll

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I am an attorney old enough to know that for more than 30 years the rights and benefits of workers under workers' compensation in the State of Florida have steadily declined. The question is, how long can we continue to call the system fair?

Now we have a report brought to our attention by Confined Space which details the failure of workers' compensation throughout the entire country.

Workers Comp: A Colossal Failure

Guess what? Workers Comp doesn't work. And if you don't believe me, go read this:

A new report released today by the consumer rights group, Center for Justice & Democracy (CJ&D), finds that workers' compensation programs throughout the country have been devastating for injured workers, leaving them to contend with an adversarial bureaucracy and inadequate benefits that render many destitute. The report, "Workers' Compensation - A Cautionary Tale," calls the workers' compensation program a "colossal failure." It also notes, "[t]he real winners are insurance companies, which continue to boast record profits as workers' benefits are declining."

The Center for Justice & Democracy provides access to the full report.

"Workers' compensation is an unfortunate example of how a seemingly fair program can be manipulated by political forces into a nightmare for those it was originally meant to help," said CJ&D attorney and policy analyst Amy Widman, the report's author.