Industrial Commission Chairman Testifies in Support of Agency Budget

This week Tim Bainbridge, Chairman of the Industrial Commission of Ohio (OIC), provided testimony in support of his agency’s budget, House Bill 79. Bainbridge testified: “In order to accommodate statutory payroll adjustments and an increase in wages due to the last collective bargaining agreement, the Industrial Commission is requesting an increase in its total budget of 5.7%.”

The function of the OIC is to adjudicate contested workers’ compensation claims. Bainbridge said this in testimony: “In calendar year 2018, our 82 hearing officers, all of whom are licensed attorneys, adjudicated over 114,000 claims. ”

The bill appropriates funding for the agency of 335 staff over the next two years and is required to be passed and signed into law by the end of June. 2/28/2019