The city of Patterson continues whittling away at its workers’ compensation claims costs, as a new report pegged the value of currently open claims at $14.5 million, the Paterson Times newspaper reported.

As of May 13, there were 339 open workers' compensation claims along with another 303 liability claims, according to the report published by third party administrator Claims Resolution Corp.

That’s compared with a total of 1,214 open workers’ compensation and liability claims a year ago, when liabilities for those claims were nearly $16.9 million, according to Samir Goow, the city’s risk manager.

Goow credited the city’s efforts to aggressively drive down the case numbers by trying to settle more cases early.

Goow said a measure passed earlier by the city authorizing the administration to close any workers’ compensation cases worth less than $15,000 without seeking the council’s approval had expedited his office’s ability to settle claims more quickly. Prior to that measure, the council had to approve all settlement proposals.

He said he also met with injured workers to verify claims, and he stepped up safety meetings for supervisory and other high-ranking personnel for training in workplace safety practices.

Goow said he expects claims numbers to continue falling and that he will continue to review each new case to detect potential fraud.