The truth about the BWC settlement

In late July, the San Allen Inc. v. Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation case was settled for $420 million. This case involved a large class of private employers seeking nearly $1 billion in alleged Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) overcharges based on their non-participation in group discounts. Since then, many articles and newsletters have been speculating about when employers will start to see their settlement checks. While the BWC has created a settlement website to assist employers with questions, Bricker & Eckler LLP has also prepared the following “cheat sheet” to keep you informed of important dates, including when to expect to see your proceeds from the settlement:

• August 22, 2014: Notice with Proof of Claim forms sent to potential class members
• October 22, 2014: Deadline for submitting claims and/or making objections
• December 10, 2014: Deadline for employers to submit cures for deficient Proof of Claim forms
• January 7, 2015: Settlement administrator completes processing of all claims and determine eligible class members
• January 14, 2015: Settlement administrator submits payment list of class members to the BWC
• February 14, 2015: Deadline for the BWC to issue payment to eligible class members

When the case was settled, the court appointed Bricker & Eckler Special Master over the settlement fund. We are here to answer any questions you may have about the settlement and will keep you updated if any of the information above changes.