Witnesses Slam D.C.'s Dual Comp System

For almost three hours Friday, Washington, D.C., leaders heard from two dozen injured workers and attorneys who testified about how strange and capricious the district's workers' compensation system has become. “Why should I be treated worse than someone who works for a private company?” asked Esther Layne, a district employee who said she suffers from respiratory problems brought on by years of working in moldy offices. Others at the hearing said the law that set up two separate comp systems — one for private workers in the city and one for publ...