NCCI Puts Price of 1st DCA Westphal Decision at $65 Million

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefFlorida's ratemaker estimates that the 1st District Court of Appeal's ruling in Bradley Westphal v. City of St. Petersburg will add $65 million to annual workers' compensation costs and could also produce indirect costs that can't yet be calculated.The National Council on Compensation Insurance said in a cost estimate released Friday that the impact on pending cases from the Feb. 28 ruling, which struck down the state's 104-week cap on temporary total disability benefits, is yet to be determined.The financial impact statement was lim...