House approves $35K in medical claims for eight injured people

Eight individuals would receive a combined $35,264 under a bill passed Wednesday by the House.

Sponsored by Rep. Duane Quam (R-Byron), HF2287, the annual claims bill, would allocate money from the General Fund to the Department of Corrections to cover medical claims against the state by eight men who suffered injuries while being incarcerated or while performing community service or sentence-to-service work.

Passed 129-0, the bill goes to the Senate where Sen. Bruce Anderson (R-Buffalo) is the sponsor.

The claimants are:

• Colten Rosendahl, left thumb injury at the Moose Lake facility, $9,350
• Kurt Bird, right index finger injury at the Stillwater facility, $9,350;
• James Comstock, injured at the Stillwater facility, $4,209;
• Joseph Kamm, right thumb injury at the Faribault facility, $3,750;
• Eloy Cantu, right leg injury at the Stillwater facility, $3,729.79;
• Clinton Karnes, left ankle injury at the Stillwater facility, $3,000;
• Philip Berg, right finger injury at the Stillwater facility, $1,125; and
• Mark Knudsen, left ring finger at the Togo facility, $750.
   

An additional $965 would go for claims under $7,000 that have already been paid by the department.

Each year, a joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Claims meets to determine which petitions will be funded. All state agencies are eligible to receive funding to cover the claims.