Luzerne County keeps same workers’ compensation overseer

Luzerne County Council unanimously voted last week to retain the same company to oversee workers’ compensation claims instead of switching vendors as originally recommended by the administration.

Excalibur Insurance Management Services has handled the work as a third-party administrator for many years, and the administration had proposed a new contract with Inservco Insurance Services Inc. last month, saying the change could reduce costs and provide online access to claims management.

Based on proposals, the cost was $48,000 for Excalibur and an estimated $43,023 for Inservco this year. Several council members had expressed concerns Inservco’s payment could exceed $43,023 because it provided an estimate of the cost for some services based on a review of past claims, while Excalibur was willing to receive a fixed amount.

Council had to approve a contract under the county’s home rule charter because it involves an expense exceeding $25,000 in a future calendar year for which no budget has been adopted.

The new contract with Excalibur will run three years. The agenda submission noted Excalibur’s annual charge of $48,000 is $15,000 less than its prior contract amount.

Opioid grant

Council unanimously introduced a budget amendment ordinance accepting the receipt of $4 million in compensation from litigation against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors.

The county carried over $2.6 million in receipts from 2022 and has a 2023 grant of $1.4 million, the agenda submission said.

In total, more than $25.4 million in compensation from the litigation is expected to come to the county over the next 18 years, officials have said.

County Drug and Alcohol Administrator Ryan Hogan has said his agency is heavily involved in determining how the county will use the opioid litigation settlement funding in accordance with standards.

A public hearing and majority vote at a subsequent meeting are required to pass the ordinance.

Election integrity

In another unanimous decision last week, council introduced a budget amendment to factor in $1.67 million from the state’s Election Integrity Grant program, with $638,000 carried over from 2022 and $1.04 million allocated for 2023.

The grant is designed to ensure counties across the state have their mail ballots counted by midnight on election night. A council majority had agreed to use a portion of last year’s funds to purchase a mail ballot sorting machine to speed up the ballot receipt recording and Election Day processing.

Specific plans for the current available funding are still under development, officials say.

Act 13

Council’s Act 13 Grant Committee will meet at 4 p.m. Thursday in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

The committee has been working on an application and award plan inviting interested municipalities and community organizations to apply for county natural-gas industry receipts that must be used for recreational projects.

A remote meeting attendance link will be posted under council’s online meeting section at luzernecounty.org.

Courthouse holiday

County government buildings will be closed today for Presidents’ Day.