Task force formed to lower Delaware’s Workers’ comp rates

Delaware’s workers’ compensation rates have jumped 26 percent over the past two years.  Now state leaders are trying to bring the rate back down.

A task force created by the General Assembly to determine how to lower the rates will hold its first meeting today.  The group will meet through early May and eventually make recommendations on how to solve the problem.

Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn will lead the group. He hopes to build on success in lowering rates back in 2006 and 2007.  “[The rate] went from third worst in the country all the way to 13th best in the country just in a couple years.”  But that didn’t last.  “As good as that news was in 2007, for our business, a 26 percent increase is bad news for our businesses.”

Denn says a lot of the people who worked on lowering the rates five or six years ago will be back on the job as part of this 20 member task force.  “We’re very confident that we can [get back to lower rates].  We know what we need to do to get the rates under control and it looks like we just need to go back and back fill some problems that have developed since then.”