After a three-year hiatus, Ohio Safety Congress has finally scheduled an in-person return! This three-day event is scheduled for March 8-10, 2023, and is free to all Ohio BWC state-fund employers. The keynote address and several other sessions will be livestreamed online during the event. This is one of our favorite events, and we’re excited to see you all there!

Reinstated Safety Intervention Grant Program – $3 to $1 match on safety investments is back. More here!

 Safety Council rebates finally returned! The program transitioned to virtual meetings in March 2020 and a hybrid option was offered for the 2021 policy year, but they also did away with the premium rebate benefit during those two policy years. Now that the program has returned to 100% in person, virtually any private or public state fund employer can earn a 2% premium rebate for attending at least ten meetings each policy year. 

The Substance Abuse Recovery Program is funded by millions that the DeWine administration committed toward helping Ohio employers hire, manage and retain employees in recovery. The funds can be used to reimburse employers for employee drug testing (with some caveats), training, and related policy development.

As Governor Mike DeWine begins his second term in 2023, he’ll have a new Chief of Staff in Stephanie McCloud, formerly the Administrator (CEO) for Ohio BWC. John Logue will succeed her as the Administrator next year. Logue currently serves as BWC’s Chief of Strategic Direction, and has previously served as interim Administrator for the organization.

2022’s unpredictable market had a similar impact on BWC’s investments as it did on many of our own. The chart below tracks October ’21 through October ’22, which shows a $3.2 billion loss, but as of November 10, the fund had lost a bit more, totaling $3.6 billion in losses.