Insurers Have Been Draining Funds from New Jersey’s Pensions for 15 Years
Report calls 2006 policy that shifted financial obligations for employee injuries to pensions ‘a windfall to insurers.’
Insurance firms have been siphoning off money from New Jersey’s pension funds for the past 15 years thanks to a policy decision that shifted financial obligations for employee injuries to pension funds, according to an investigation by acting state Comptroller Kevin Walsh.
A report on the investigation said that a 2006 policy adopted by the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) encourages injured employees to accept continuing medical monitoring and coverage instead of cash settlements. The report said the approach, which puts the financial burden on pension funds to pay workers rather than on insurance firms, has provided “a windfall to insurers and financially harms the pension funds.”
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A long-standing loophole in workers’ compensation policy shifted “substantial” costs onto New Jersey’s already strained public employee pension system, according to a new report from a top state financial watchdog.
A precise estimate of the financial impact could not be determined, but the findings released on Thursday by the Office of the State Comptroller suggest insurance companies benefited the most from the loophole.
At the same time, the report determined the loophole effectively shifted more costs onto the pension system, which as of last year, was operating with a nearly $130 billion unfunded liability, according to estimates disclosed in recent state bond documents.