EDITORIAL UNNECESSARY COSTS WORKERS' COMP COSTS CITY ENOUGH WITHOUT SLOW CLAIMS.

THE company that administrates the workers' compensation program for the Los Angeles Fire Department needs to either shape up - or be shipped out.

Dozens of firefighters have complained that Cambridge Integrated Services Group makes them stay off work longer - with pay - than they ought to because it takes so long to approve treatment. Meanwhile, other firefighters have to work overtime to cover missed shifts.

When people are complaining about getting too much overtime and getting to spend too much time off work, then it's got to be serious.

This means it's costing the city more than it should to help injured workers, and keeps those hurt on the job from getting health care right away.

That's a bad combination. Workers' compensation programs cost private and public employers in California billions of dollars, and have been climbing each year. That's why one of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's first major acts after he was elected was to broker a reform package with the Legislature to roll back prices.

Premiums have gone down, but workers' comp costs still place a huge burden upon the city. Personnel officials should do everything they can to keep costs down, and that includes making Cambridge shape up its service.