Maine employers will pay the lowest assessment in more than a decade to fund the state Workers’ Compensation Board.
Fees to fund the agency have been cut by nearly $3.5 million to $7.35 million, the largest reduction in employers’ assessments since 1993, according to a press release from Gov. John Baldacci’s office. The board was able to make the cuts by transferring more than $1.1 million from the rehabilitation fund and saving $675,000 from staff vacancies and shutdown days, among other steps. The assessments are separate from those that pay to cover injured workers.
Last year, the board announced a $3 million reduction. Overall, compensation rates have dropped 54% since 1993, according to the release.