Don Kaufman has moved to his new office in Glenwood Springs. He can not be found at the Penrose Plaza at 2520 South Grand Avenue, Suite 110, Glenwood Springs, Colorado 81601 (970) 947-1776 Please update your records. Thank you.

AARP: Pinnacol among nation’s best for older workers

Pinnacol Assurance, a Colorado workers’ compensation insurance company, has been named among the nation’s 50 best employers for workers over 50 by the senior-advocacy organization AARP.

Denver-based Pinnacol placed 25th on the 2008 list, which was announced Wednesday, and is the only Colorado-based company ranked by AARP.

Pinnacol also ranked No. 25 on the 2007 list.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co., which has a significant Colorado presence, ranked 32nd on the 2008 list.

The latest version of the annual list appears online at www.aarp.org and will also appear in the November-December issue of AARP The Magazine.

Ranked first on this year’s AARP list is Cornell University of Ithaca, N.Y.

Also in the top five: Scripps Health of San Diego; S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. of Racine, Wis.; the YMCA of Greater Rochester, N.Y.; and Lee Memorial Health System of Fort Myers, Fla.

AARP said it created the annual ranking to call attention to the fact that workers over 50 make up an increasing portion of the nation’s workforce.

By 2014, nearly one-third of the total U.S. workforce will be age 50 or older, up from 27 percent in 2005, the organization says.

Pinnacol says 22 percent of its employees are 50 or older.

AARP said it assembled its list by evaluating companies’ recruiting practices, opportunities for training, education and career development; workplace accommodations; alternative work options, such as flexible scheduling, job sharing, and phased retirement; employee health and pension benefits; retiree work opportunities, and training and development.

Pinnacol was recognized for flexible scheduling options, including compressed workweeks and telecommuting; pension and retirement-savings plans that allow older workers to accelerate their retirement savings; training programs for mature workers; and its on-site wellness center and fitness programs.
www.glenwoodattorney.com

Gov. Ritter Signs Bill to Regulate Professional Employer Organizations in Colorado

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept 12, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- PEO industry welcomes stringent financial standards for unemployment insurance reporting and shielding of small business against unnecessary workers' compensation litigation
Colorado State Rep. Christine Scanlan (D-Summit County) carried a small but important bill, SB 114, better known as the 2008 Professional Employer Organizations Modernization Act, through the legislature this year to help small businesses access affordable benefits for their employees and protect them from economic downturns.
The bill, which was overwhelmingly supported by the small business community and professional employer organizations (PEOs), modernizes 1997 statutes for the 200 PEOs registered in Colorado. The new law will provide more security to the thousands of Colorado small businesses who outsource human resource management, employee benefits, payroll and workers' compensation to a PEO.
"PEOs provide a cost effective option for small business owners and their workforce who would not otherwise have access to benefits such as health insurance and retirement savings plans," said Scanlan. "This legislation protects small owners and allows them the time to concentrate on what they do best: build their business."
A small business will contract with a PEO to help manage increasingly complex employee related matters such as health benefits, safety management, workers' compensation claims, payroll, payroll tax compliance, unemployment insurance claims and provide expertise in human resources management. However, unlike other states, PEOs were largely unregulated in Colorado until now.
"While Colorado recognizes PEOs, the current law did not require them to secure a license from the state, file audited financial statements each year or maintain a minimum of working capital," said Arthur L. Geiger, president and CEO of Avitus Group. Geiger, a PEO operating in CO who helped coordinate industry support of the new law, explained that these requirements are important in protecting businesses and their employees from misleading representations.
In a PEO arrangement, employer responsibilities are shared between the PEO and the small business owner. PEOs use their own tax ID to submit payroll records and file taxes, offer benefits, and secure workers' compensation insurance. They also assume liability for the client's employment practices, employee handbooks and compliance with all federal and state labor regulations.
"On behalf of the of the professional employer organization industry and the thousands of Colorado businesses using a PEO, we want to thank Gov. Ritter, Rep. Scanlan and the Colorado legislative champions for moving this vital piece of legislation forward," said Milan P. Yager, executive vice president of the National Association of Professional Employers (NAPEO). "This legislation creates a responsible regulatory framework for unemployment insurance reporting and shields small businesses against unnecessary compensation litigation."
The bill was the result of a review process undertaken by the industry's national trade association, National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO), including its members, PEOs that are non-members, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), and other business organizations.
Photo Available Upon Request
About NAPEO
NAPEO, the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations, is the recognized "Voice of the PEO Industry(R)." NAPEO is the largest trade association for professional employer organizations nationwide. NAPEO has nearly 400 PEO members operating in all 50 states, representing approximately 90 percent of the revenues of the $63 billion industry. PEOs enable clients to cost-effectively outsource the management of human resources, employee benefits, payroll and workers' compensation allowing clients to focus on their core competencies to maintain and grow their bottom line. To learn more about the PEO industry and how PEOs contribute to small businesses' success, visit the NAPEO Web site: www.napeo.org.
SOURCE National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO)

GarCo to pay $2,000 bonuses to new jailers

By DENNIS WEBB
The Daily Sentinel

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario said he will offer $2,000 hiring bonuses as the newest way of trying to address understaffing at the county jail.

Vallario also will offer a $500 recruiting incentive to employees who provide leads to people who end up being hired and work out well for the Sheriff’s Department.

The moves are the latest by Vallario to deal with a jail that has been 20 to 25 percent below full staffing for the last year.

Last fall, he increased starting jail deputy pay to $18.66 an hour. The 11 percent raise equalized pay between patrol and detention deputies.

However, Vallario continues to struggle to find enough help in an area where many employers in both the public and private sectors face similar problems.

He said he worries that overtime shifts and a reduction in training opportunities may be pushing a dedicated detention staff to its limits.

“If we don’t provide relief, I fear that the vacancy rate will get worse,” Vallario said in a memo to county commissioners.

He said if the bonuses work, they may be something other county departments might want to try, he said. He noted that many employers in the area already provide bonuses for new hires.

Vallario plans to pay for the program from an annual U.S. Department of Justice grant his department receives to help deal with apprehension of criminal aliens. Employee recruitment, retention and training are allowable expenses under the grant.

Vallario said the bonuses might help new employees with moving expenses, rental deposits or purchase of equipment not provided by the Sheriff’s Department. Finding housing and coming up with down payments or rental deposits is a major challenge for workers moving to the Glenwood Springs area because of high housing and rental costs.

The Sheriff’s Department will need to work out details of the program to make sure the hiring and recruitment bonuses aren’t paid out prematurely, to guard against cases in which new hires don’t work out, Vallario said.

E-mail Dennis Webb at dwebb@gjds.com.

Injured Workers Have Pharmacy Options.

IWP is an outfit that provides Workers' Compensation medications for injured workers. They are an independent pharmacy service, which means they appear to be concerned with your interest. And yours alone.
If you call them they indicate that they will ship your Workers' Compensation medications right to your door, hassle free. The promise to work on your behalf, filling your prescription needs even if your claim has been denied or goes through litigation.
What does IWP promise?
• Your prescriptions and medical equipment when you need it
• A dedicated customer service team
• Licensed pharmacists available for consultation
• Free next day home delivery for all approved claims
• Multi-lingual assistance
• Caring, respectful, professional service
• Freedom from time and stress spent on phone calls and paperwork
What they might help with…?
• Confusing claim forms
• Out-of-pocket expenses on approved Workers' Compensation claims
• Waiting for reimbursement
Check them out if you are having issues. This might not be right for everyone but it might help many injured workers.

http://www.iwpharmacy.com

If you have questions please call the Law Firm of KAUMAN & KAUFMAN, LLC. We do not endorse nor not endorse specific products or services but think that this might really help some of our rural clients in Western Colorado. Don Kaufman 401 23rd Street, Suite 302, Glenwood Springs, Colorado 81601 (970) 945-2396 Fax (970) 945-7763 www.coloradoattorney.com

Strong safety records earn local businesses rewards

$133,256 in dividends paid

Local businesses that maintained good records for work-related accidents and for getting injured workers back on the job are being rewarded with thousands of dollars in dividends.
A variety of local businesses in the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association Workers' Comp Safety Group will receive $133,256 in dividends based on $3.4 million in annual worker's compensation policy premiums paid from July 1, 2001, to July 1, 2002.
"The large amount of dividends paid to Glenwood Springs chamber members is indicative of the commitment these companies have to providing safe workplaces and quality safety programs," noted Carol Valdez, marketing representative for nonprofit workers' compensation insurer Pinnacol Assurance.
"The strength of the program is the commitment Glenwood Springs chamber members are making to keep their employees safe.
"Chamber members insured by Pinnacol Assurance through the Workers' Compensation Safety Group can qualify for a dividend by implementing a safety program, attending one safety seminar per year, maintaining a good loss ratio and being a chamber member in good standing," Valdez said.
More than $400,000 in workers comp dividends were earned by Glenwood chamber members in the past three years.
The chamber has been enrolled in the program since 1994. Benefits for members include savings up to 4 percent on qualified policies, industry specific safety and loss control plans and peer-to-peer counseling.
The chamber also offers a series of educational seminars and provides custom safety manuals for its safety group members.
"Pinnacol Assurance works closely with the Glenwood Springs chamber to provide safety programs, loss control plans, return-to-work assistance and educational seminars for members of the Workers' Comp Safety Group," Valdez said.

Aspen ski workers taking on Big Oil

Foundation pumps $34K into effort to limit or prevent Roan drilling

Scott Condon
Aspen, CO Colorado
January 16, 2008

ASPEN — A foundation funded by Aspen Skiing Co. employees on Tuesday jumped into the bitter battle between environmentalists and the oil industry over drilling for natural gas in western Colorado’s Roan Plateau.

The Environment Foundation announced that it awarded two grants directly tied to the Roan battle and two others indirectly connected. The four grants totaled $34,302, according to Matt Hamilton, executive director of the Environment Foundation.

“We’re not anti-drilling. We’re for smart drilling,” he said. The foundation’s board of directors felt it needed to join the effort to save “the last special places worth protecting in their entirety. The Roan is one of them.”

Greg Schnacke, president and CEO of Golden, Colo.-based Americans for American Energy, said the Skico workers’ foundation and a lot of other players in the Roan Plateau debate “don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Opponents of drilling for natural gas in western Colorado don’t make the connection that the gas that warms many of their homes and businesses comes from western Garfield County. Drilling foes want warm houses as long as the drilling doesn’t occur in their backyard, he said.

Litigation possible
One of the grants awarded by the Environment Foundation may help fund a lawsuit environmentalists are pondering over the Roan Plateau. Western Resource Advocates was given an $11,802 grant to fund legal work “to limit or eliminate drilling atop the Roan Plateau,” Hamilton said. Another environmental organization gave a similar-sized grant to fund the legal work, he said.

Colorado Mountain Club was awarded $5,000 to develop an economic analysis of the impact of drilling on the Roan. The Mountain Club has worked for years to rally citizens and governments of the Western Slope against drilling on 52,000 acres of public lands on Roan Plateau, an area west of Rifle that towers over the Colorado River Valley.

The Environment Foundation also granted $10,000 to Western Colorado Congress to educate residents of towns in western Garfield County about the health impacts of gas drilling. A documentary filmmaker was granted $7,500 to help production of her work, called Split Estate, which shows health impacts from drilling in western Colorado.

Hamilton said this grant cycle wasn’t the first time the Environment Foundation funded efforts related to natural gas drilling. Western Colorado Congress, for example, has received $56,000 over the last seven or eight years, he noted.

But this was the highest concentration of dollars thrown into the fray. The foundation’s board members felt a sense of urgency about the Roan Plateau because the area’s fate could be settled this year, Hamilton said.

Counter productive for business?
Schnacke said the Environment Foundation’s expenditures made no sense. It is funding groups that have goals that run counter to the Aspen Skiing Co.’s business interests, he claimed.

Schnacke previously charged that Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland and the town were hypocrites by opposing drilling on Roan Plateau while the town’s mansions suck down significantly higher amounts of energy than average U.S. homes.

On Tuesday, Schnacke also accused Skico employees of hypocrisy. The company relies on destination skiers, many of whom arrive for their vacation on private jets then stay in highly consumptive residences. Opposing energy production makes little sense for an area that depends so heavily on energy consumption, he said.

Schnacke challenged Environment Foundation members to read the Roan Plateau drilling plan, which he labeled one of the most environmentally responsible plans ever crafted for drilling in public lands. Surface disturbance will be limited to a few hundred acres among the 80 square miles, he said.

“I just don’t understand the skiing company’s point,” Schnacke said.

Hamilton defended the Environment Foundation’s direction. Its members love the outdoors, he said, and the organization has a 10-year history of protecting the environment. Its position is consistent on the Roan Plateau because it wants to make sure drilling is undertaken in the most responsible way, he said.

Hamilton stressed that the foundation is independent of the Aspen Skiing Co.

Record grant cycle
The Environment Foundation gave 13 organizations $100,000 in grants this cycle, a record amount. It also gave $70,000 in spring 2007. The largest individual grant also was awarded this cycle. Environment Colorado’s Research and Policy Center was given $20,000 to promote a state Climate Action Plan proposed by Gov. Bill Ritter.

The Environment Foundation is funded through voluntary contributions from Skico employees and supported by the Aspen Skiing Co. Family Fund and the Aspen Community Foundation.

In the decade since it was formed, the Environment Foundation has given $1.12 million to 233 environmental projects and causes.

scondon@aspentimes.com