Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation
Information Bulletin

SAN FRANCISCO  -- The California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC) has issued its Annual Report for 2000-2001, including recommendations for legislative and administrative changes to improve programs vital to all Californians.

CHSWC is concerned with the identification of the appropriate types and levels of benefits to compensate workers sustaining industrial injuries and illnesses, with a particular focus on efforts to assist injured workers in returning to work. The Commission also assessed the impact of the far-reaching workers’ compensation reform legislation during the 1990’s on the community, on various aspects of California’s health and safety and workers’ compensation systems, and on the operations of state agencies charged with carrying out those programs.

The CHSWC 2000-2001 Annual Report highlights include recommendations to

• Reduce the uncompensated wage loss sustained by industrially injured workers by considering workers’ compensation benefit increases and promoting return-to-work.
• Simplify and cost-contain the workers’ compensation system.
• Maintain the integrity of the workers’ compensation system.
• Improve workers’ compensation program administration.
• Emphasize occupational health and safety.

The 2000-2001 CHSWC Annual Report also updates its ongoing evaluation of the workers’ compensation system with respect to the current California economy.

The Commission is charged with overseeing the health and safety and workers' compensation systems in California and recommending administrative or legislative modifications to improve their operation. The Commission was established to conduct a continuing examination of the workers' compensation system and of the state's activities to prevent industrial injuries and occupational diseases and to examine those programs in other states.

Since its inception in 1994, the Commission has held meetings, conducted fact-finding hearings, and directed several studies to determine how these crucial programs are serving California employees and employers. These studies, conducted by independent research organizations under contract with the Commission, and other activities were aided by the involvement of state agency personnel and interested members of the workers’ compensation community. This cooperative public-private partnership continues to work together to identify, describe, measure and propose solutions to problems and difficulties in the current health and safety and workers’ compensation systems.

CHSWC’s 2000-2001 Annual Report and other publications are available at CHSWC’s home page at www.dir.ca.gov/chswc. A copy of the CHSWC 2000-2001 Annual Report may be obtained at no charge by writing to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, 10th Floor, San Francisco, California 94102, by calling (415) 703-4220, by faxing a request to (415) 703-4234, or by emailing chswc@dir.ca.gov.

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