Ohio to employers: Workers' comp rebate checks 'in the mail'

Columbus, OH – Ohio began sending out $1 billion in workers’ compensation rebate checks to employers this week.

Stephen Buehrer, administrator/CEO of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, visited three locations on July 1 to present rebate checks and told other employers throughout the state that their checks were “in the mail.” Mailings will continue through July 12.

The $1 billion in rebates equals more than half of employers’ most recent annual premium, and is part of a plan from Gov. John R. Kasich (R) that includes increasing the state’s safety and wellness grant program to $15 million and modernizing the premium collection model.

The three-part plan, approved by BWC on May 30, is unrelated to a court decision that ruled BWC overcharged employers by about $860 million over the course of nearly a decade. The bureau is appealing that decision, and a BWC spokesperson said the governor’s rebate plan would not affect the state’s ability to repay employers if BWC loses the appeal.