Hurt workers have harsh words for Pinnacol
By Charles Ashby 
| September 1, 2009 | 7:01 AM
They didn’t have a lot of nice things to say about Pinnacol Assurance, the quasigovernmental insurance firm of last resort for worker’s compensation.
Injured worker after injured worker came before the legislature’s Interim Committee to Study Issues Related to Pinnacol Assurance on Monday with tales of how they were hurt on the job and got authorization from their doctors for various procedures only to see Pinnacol later deny some or all of their claims.
Critics of the committee say the Democratic-controlled legislature is on a witch hunt and is trying to get its hands on what they call a private company’s assets. Supporters say that every state agency, quasi or not, deserves scrutiny from time to time, and a company that pays no state or federal taxes needs to explain how it has collected millions of dollars — $580 million at last count — and put the money aside in reserve bank accounts.
Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora and chairwoman of the 16-member panel — which includes Pinnacol CEO Ken Ross — said the committee also hopes to learn whether employers are being overcharged, whether workers’ claims aren’t being paid and whether Pinnacol executives are being overcompensated.
But it was the witnesses who did much of the asking during the committee’s third meeting, and they issued a lot of the accusations toward the company, which was created by state statute in 1915.
“I thought being a state worker, that Pinnacol Assurance was on our side, that they would help us and lead us through in a helpful way to make us whole. They did not. All I did get was baloney from these people,” said Leonard Delgado, who worked at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo before he was injured on the job. “They just push (claims) from one place to another, you don’t get any kind of satisfaction, they threaten you.
“In my opinion, this just goes to show why and how Pinnacol Assurance has amassed so much money by denying needed surgeries and by cheating us on our settlements. I, too, am going to lose my house, but what the hell do they care? They got their bonuses, they got their ways, they got their cars, they got everything they need and want, but the hell with us.”
Delgado ended his testimony by suggesting that some bone screws he brought to the hearing that he had once borne in his own body now be placed in some of Pinnacol’s executives to let them suffer through the same pain he felt — and then see their claims to have them removed denied.
Pinnacol’s Ross said at the start of the workers’ testimony that he would neither comment on the testimony nor ask questions of the workers, saying that their specific cases were protected by medical confidentiality. He later released a statement:
“Today the Interim Committee Studying Issues Related to Pinnacol Assurance completed its third meeting after hearing testimony from medical providers, claimants’ attorneys and injured workers. The circumstances surrounding each injured worker are protected by medical confidentiality and, being respectful of those guidelines, we asked no questions of any injured worker who testified today. The stories were poignant and the circumstances highlight the need for workplace safety practices and effective training.
“On Friday, Pinnacol will be making a presentation to the interim committee where we will describe our operations and tell the story of how we have lowered workers’ comp rates, paid dividends, maintained high customer satisfaction scores and honored our commitment to ensure that injured workers are treated with care and compassion and received timely and appropriate medical care.”
While some of the workers lashed out at Pinnacol in general, others focused on Ross directly.
Steve Stahl was a Durango firefighter until he injured his back on the job. He said Pinnacol spent years denying his claims and even investigated him as someone who might have filed a false claim for his injuries. During that time, Stahl lost his home, and his wife had to sell the family’s investments. He said the company hired private investigators to watch him and look for evidence that he was faking.
“I was shocked to know they were calling me a criminal,” Stahl said. “Ken Ross complains about not making enough money while he is spending more on a weekend of fun than any claimant makes in a year. I believe Pinnacol will continue to deny legitimate claims. I find their practices to be deplorable, manipulative and degrading.”
Lester Parker, owner of Parker Excavating in Pueblo, lost a leg when one of his employees dropped a crane on him. As a business owner, he said his previous opinions about how Pinnacol operated were favorable. That’s not true anymore.
“I learned when I did get hurt and I needed them and I needed doctors and I needed help, they weren’t giving it to me,” Parker told the committee. “I was getting better help than most people were because I was an owner. No, they’re not taking care of the people. The owners don’t know, they don’t really realize that this is what’s happening.
“If they had to listen to this (hearing), they would not think Pinnacol was such a great outfit because owners are not out to get their people hurt. . . . Owners would not like what’s going on, but I don’t think they understand.”
legislature, pinnacol assurance, politics, worker's compensation
