From all of us to all of you – Happy Thanksgiving!
Our offices will be closed today and tomorrow in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
All posts by Kit Case
Tell Your Boeing Story!
One Company, Many Stories
Be a part of the Boeing centennial celebration and ensure your story is captured for posterity — through your own words.
So many people have been part of Boeing’s history and have contributed to its success. We want to hear from you — employees, retirees, family members, customers, aerospace enthusiasts, travelers, suppliers, community partners and everyone in between.
The Boeing Company’s online story-sharing site is more than a place to reflect on stories of joy, challenge, triumph and humor. It also serves as a lasting reminder of our shared history with people around the world: All stories will become a permanent part of the Boeing Archives.
View stories — or tell yours — here.
States Will #RaiseTheWage for More Than 2 Million Workers
It has been almost four years since President Obama called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage. While Congress has refused to take action, this hasn’t dissuaded states and localities from stepping up and giving American workers the raises they need and deserve. Election Day was no exception. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington cast their ballots to ensure that hard work is rewarded with a fair wage.
The resounding win for minimum wage ballot initiatives in these states will collectively result in nearly 2.2 million workers getting a raise.*
- In Arizona, the minimum wage will be raised to $12 by 2020, lifting the earnings of 779,000 workers. Flagstaff passed an even bigger raise − $15 by 2021.
- In Colorado, the minimum wage will be raised to $12 by 2020, lifting the earnings of 477,000 workers.
- In Maine, the minimum wage will be raised to $12 by 2020, lifting the earnings of 181,000 workers.
- In Washington, the minimum wage will be raised to $13.50 by 2020, lifting the earnings of 730,000 workers.
The Election Day results are another reminder that for most Americans, raising the minimum wage isn’t a partisan issue but rather a commonsense decision. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia – home to 61 percent of all U.S. workers − have minimum wage rates above the federal rate of $7.25.
Voters and policymakers in these states understand what labor economists have spent decades researching and confirming: minimum wage increases have caused little to no significant job loss, but they have reduced employee turnover, strengthened families’ finances, and ultimately helped grow our economy. As our economy continues to recover from the greatest economic crisis in generations, we should all share in the prosperity we are building. And there is no easier way to do that than by raising the minimum wage.
By casting their ballots for a fair wage, the residents of Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington renewed President Obama’s call to take action. It’s time raise the minimum wage for all workers in America.
Dr. Heidi Shierholz is the department’s chief economist.
*Source: The Economic Policy Institute.
Note: In Arizona and Washington, the approved minimum wage ballot initiatives also require employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees. Expanding access to paid sick leavehas been another top priority of the Obama administration, and these ballot victories will help thousands more workers be able to address their health needs without putting their or their families’ economic security at risk.
Minimum wage in Washington to increase 6 cents in 2017
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) announced today that the state’s minimum wage will increase 6 cents in 2017. The wage will rise to $9.53 an hour on Jan. 1.
L&I is responsible for calculating the state’s minimum wage each year in September as required under Initiative 688, which voters approved in 1998. The new wage is up from the 2016 minimum wage of $9.47 per hour. Some jurisdictions have approved local minimum wages that are higher than the state’s, including Seattle, Sea-Tac, and Tacoma.
The change reflects a 0.7 percent increase in the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) over the last 12 months ending Aug. 31. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced the change this month. The index represents a “shopping basket” of goods needed for everyday living, including groceries, gas, and clothing.
The increase in the minimum wage is expected to affect nearly 51,000 workers, based on full-time equivalent jobs, according to theWashington State Employment Security Department.
The minimum wage applies to all jobs, including those in agriculture. Workers under 16 can be paid 85 percent of the adult minimum wage, or $8.10 an hour, in 2017.
L&I provides materials to help employers inform workers about minimum wage and their rights as workers. Employers are required to post a “Your Rights as a Worker” poster in the workplace, which supplies general information about employment issues. An optional minimum wage poster is also available for employers. Both are free from L&I.
L&I enforces the state’s wage-and-hour laws. The agency investigates all wage-payment complaints. More information on Washington’s minimum wage is available on L&I’s wages webpage. Employers and workers may also call 360-902-5316 or 1-866-219-7321.
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50-State Survey Finds Slower Growth in Total Medicaid Spending Nationally in FY 2016 and Projected for FY 2017 as Earlier Increases from the Affordable Care Act’s Coverage Expansions Taper Off
Today’s post was shared by Jon L Gelman and comes from kff.org
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After record increases in fiscal year 2015, growth in Medicaid enrollment and total Medicaid spending nationally slowed substantially in FY 2016 and are projected to continue to slow in FY 2017 as the initial surge of enrollment under the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansions tapered off, according to the 16th annual 50-state Medicaid Budget Survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Despite recent trends, Medicaid officials identified high cost and specialty drugs as an upward pressure on total Medicaid spending.  The Kaiser survey also shows an increase in state Medicaid spending growth in FY 2017 tied to the requirement for the 32 Medicaid expansion states (including Washington, DC) to start paying a five percent share of expansion costs beginning January 1, 2017. The federal government paid 100 percent of the expansion costs in 2014-2016. Among expansion states, the median growth in state Medicaid spending is projected to be 5.9 percent in FY 2017 (higher than the national average of 4.4%), up from 1.9 percent in FY 2016 (lower than the national average of 2.9%). For non-expansion states, state Medicaid spending is projected to increase by 4 percent in FY 2017 (just below the national average), compared to 3.9 percent in FY 2016 (above the national average). Total Medicaid spending and enrollment growth in expansion states outpaced growth in non-expansion states in FY 2016 and are projected to do so again in FY… |
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Workers’ Compensation ‘Reform,’ Profits: What NCCI Shared
Today’s post comes from guest author Rod Rehm, from Rehm, Bennett & Moore.
Workers’ compensation laws are under constant attack by “reformers” from industry, insurance and self-insureds. NCCI is the National Council on Compensation Insurance, a group that participates in many aspects of workers’ compensation, including setting premiums. The NCCI recently released presentations regarding big issues in workers’ compensation, including information about prescription drug cost-control (listed first below) and an insurance industry financial review (listed last below). These presentations were part of the NCCI’s 2016 Annual Issues Symposium.
- “Workers’ Compensation and Prescription Drugs: 2016 Update”
- “The Affordable Care Act and Workers Compensation”
- “Regulatory and Legislative Trends Workshop: Channeling Change”
- “Insurance in an Exponential World”
- “The Shape of Things to Come for P/C Insurance Markets and the American Workplace”
These presentations are interesting. I recommend reviewing them for a snapshot of our current workers’ compensation system in America. The financial review link (“Shape of Things to Come … ” above) shows high net income for the insurance industry. Is the constant pressure to “reform” workers’ compensation law fair and reasonable? Is maximizing profit for the insurance industry more important than fair compensation of worker injury and death?
Can I Get Workers’ Comp Benefits For My Loss of Sense of Taste and Smell?
Today’s post comes from guest author Kristina Brown Thompson, from The Jernigan Law Firm.
What is your sense of smell and sense of taste worth to you? These senses are truly priceless. In a medical malpractice case, the plaintiff – a chef – was awarded $1.5 million in damages when he lost his sense of taste following a tonsillectomy when the surgeon failed to disclose that this was a risk.
Unfortunately, sometimes an injured worker may suffer a head injury or other type of injury that causes him or her to lose his/her sense of smell and/or taste. While no amount of money will ever make a person whole after losing one of their senses, North Carolina workers’ compensation law allows for an injured worker to be awarded some compensation for the loss of sense of smell and taste if the loss was a result of compensable workplace injury. Under North Carolina General Statute § 97-31(24), the “loss or permanent injury to any important organ or part of the body for which no compensation is payable under any other subdivision of this section. . .”. The maximum award for the loss of both senses (combined) is capped at $20,000 in North Carolina.
North Carolina law treats the “loss of sense of taste and smell” as the loss of an important internal organ.” See Cloutier v. State, 57 N.C. App. 239, 291 S.E.2d 362 (1982). In 1997, the North Carolina Court of Appeals (Bess v. Tyson Foods, Inc., 125 N.C. App. 698, 482 S.E.2d 26 (1997) held that the injured worker was entitled to compensation for permanent damage to the olfactory organ but not for compensation for two separate compensable injuries. As a result, in North Carolina the most a plaintiff can receive for losing his or her sense of taste and smell is $20,000.
Based on a brief look at other states, it appears that many states do not compensate injured workers for their loss of sense of taste or smell at all. When compensation is allowed, the states have compensation caps less than North Carolina’s cap. For example, Connecticut allows 17 weeks (max) compensation for loss of sense of taste, and 17 weeks (max) for loss of sense of smell. Minnesota allows a 1% disability rating for total loss of taste and 1% rating for total loss of sense of smell. Washington caps the total body impairment for the loss of taste and smell at 3% (or a max award of $5,977.41). Finally, Wisconsin has a cap of 2.5% for permanent total disability for losses of taste and smell.
ACA Health Insurance Open Enrollment Begins November 1st
In Washington State, we have a healthcare exchange at www.wahealthplanfinder.org. If this is your first time obtaining health insurance through the WA State exchange, a little preparation and planning will help you through the process. Gather the documents and information you will need to complete your online application.
Download a checklist of information you will need to apply.
Set aside time to work on your application. Early morning or late evenings may be less busy and allow faster progress through the application program. Note that the website is down overnight from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am daily. As you work through the application, save your work. If you need, you can return to the application to complete it at a later time.
Quick Tips for Completing the Application.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits are Not Taxable Income. Do NOT over-report your income by including time loss compensation in your in application. You may qualify for insurance for you and your family at a much lower cost while you are receiving time loss compensation benefits.
Savings are based on your expected household income for the year you want coverage, not last year’s income. The exchange uses an income number called modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) to determine eligibility for savings. It’s not a line on your tax return.
See what’s included in MAGI and how to estimate it.
You can get free, in-person help from a navigator or broker. They can help you fill out the application and enroll in coverage. Search for a navigator or broker by your zip code or language preference. You can also call the Customer Support Center at 1-855-923-4633 for help with the application process.
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New Scrutiny for Oklahoma Workers’ Comp System
Today’s post was shared by Workers Compensation and comes from www.insurancejournal.com
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Three years after passage of sweeping legislation that revamped Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system, courts are scrapping significant parts of the law in decisions that say the regulations violate the state constitution and do not provide adequate protection to workers. The new regulations were touted by the Republican-controlled Oklahoma Legislature as a way to reduce the cost of workers’ compensation insurance for employers and improve health outcomes for injured workers by moving the workers’ compensation system from an adversarial court-based system to an administrative one. But since the new law went into effect on Feb. 1, 2014, 38 provisions have been found unconstitutional, invalid or inoperable. And while dozens more challenges remain pending before state trial and appeals courts, including the Oklahoma Supreme Court, a new research report on the cost and efficacy of workers’ compensation systems in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., says that while the cost of workers’ compensation insurance in Oklahoma has declined since the new law went into effect, the cost is still high compared to other states and the level of benefits to injured workers has plummeted. The report by the National Academy of Social Insurance, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization made up of the nation’s leading experts on social insurance, states that between 2010 and 2014, total workers’ compensation benefits paid per $100 of covered wages… |
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Shhh… The New 737 MAX Redefines a Quiet Airplane
Designed to be 40 percent quieter than today’s Next-Generation 737
When the 737 MAX took flight above the open fields of Glasgow, Mont., last month, Boeing engineers and technicians were all ears.
That’s because they were listening to and recording every decibel of sound through microphones to certify that the MAX meets federal and international noise regulations.
“The noise safety standards are becoming increasingly stringent as people start to live closer to airports,” said Barry St. Germaine, a Boeing Test & Evaluation (BT&E) pilot.
“We will not be able to fly into certain airports if we don’t meet the noise requirements, so tests like this ensure we continue to maintain the current market and gain access to new markets around the world,” he said.
The 737 MAX is designed to be 40 percent quieter than today’s Next-Generation 737. Community noise testing is intended to validate that design.
“We’re still looking at the numbers, but preliminary results show the MAX noise levels are right where we want them to be,” said Keith Leverkuhn, vice president and general manager of the 737 MAX program.
