Montana Approves Bill to Ban Illegal Immigrants from Workers Comp Benefits

Montana’s House of Representatives has given the go-ahead to legislation that would ban illegal immigrants from receiving workers compensation benefits.

According to BusinessInsurance.com, in a 69-31 vote Jan. 19, the Montana House approved H.B. 71, sponsored by Rep. Gordon Vance, R-Bozeman, and passed the bill on to the state Senate. (WCxKit)

Supporters of the legislation indicated it will assist in reducing workers comp rates, but Democratic opponents counter it could encourage unscrupulous employers to hire illegal immigrants because they would not have to acquire workers comp coverage for them.

According to the Associated Press, the Montana State Fund reported to legislative staff that in 2010, it could only locate eight claims out of more than 8,000 that had a suspicious Social Security number that may indicate an illegal immigrant.

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: [email protected] or 860-553-6604.

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MODIFIED DUTY CALCULATOR: http://www.LowerWC.com/transitional-duty-cost-calculator.php

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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.