Virgin Islands' Workers' Comp $12 Million Behind on Medical Bills

Tuesday, August 14, 2018 | 0

Budget cuts and staffing shortfalls have left the Virgin Islands Department of Labor owing more than $12 million to workers' compensation medical providers, department officials told legislative panel this week.

Even if the department had more staff, it still does not have the money to settle its payables, commissioner nominee Averil George said. The workers’ compensation premiums that companies pay the department have not kept pace with benefits costs, according to a report in the St. John Source news site. 

Legislator Kurt Vialet (D-STX) said until statutes are amended so that the agency’s collections align with its expenditures, the Labor Department will never be in a financial position to fulfill its workers’ compensation obligations.

The department owes $6.4 million to Schneider Regional Medical Center, $2.2 million to Juan F. Luis Hospital, and $3.3 million to other medical providers, the report noted.