That's the California workers compensation system. This would be a scandal anyplace else in the world.'' After 1993 legislation made the most sweeping changes in workers compensation in 20 years, The Press Democrat conducted a 12-month investigation to see how well the reorganized system is serving California workers injured on the job. It found a system that serves the powerful voices of employers, insurance companies, doctors and lawyers, while workers remain unheard. Overall, benefits are so low that California ranks 45th out of 50 states. Injured California workers must go to court to get benefits 20 percent of the time, double the rate 12 years ago and more than four times the national average.
Insurers mishandle half their claims.
In one of every five cases, the insurer won't properly notify workers of benefits, and in one of every six cases workers won't be paid all the money they're owed, according to state audits. Fraud is overstated. While some insurance companies claim one out of three workers lie about their injuries, or 33 percent, the actual number of fraud cases sent to prosecutors is less than 1 out of 100, or less than 1 percent. The state has one information counselor for every 20,000 workers comp cases, symptomatic of a bureaucracy that greets half of worker calls with a busy signal and can't even say how many claims are filed each year. No state agency regularly monitors claims to see, for instance, whether insurance payments are received on time or whether injured workers are receiving appropriate medical care.