Associated Press

The executive director of the North Dakota's Workforce Safety and Insurance agency is getting a 5.5 percent pay raise.

Sandy Blunt's salary will rise from $158,000 to $166,690, next month, the agency's board decided Thursday.

Roberta Ripplinger of Minot, who heads the workers compensation agency board's executive performance committee, said board members answering an anonymous evaluation survey gave Blunt high marks.

Ripplinger said Blunt was given a pay raise despite recent employee turnover and claims increases, because of his many other accomplishments. She said workers compensation chief executive officers in other states make as much as $500,000.

Sen. Joel Heitkamp, D-Hankinson, a frequent critic of the agency, said Blunt was making three or four times the income of workers before his raise.

"It would be nice to see the WSI board just once put their focus on the injured workers," Heitkamp said.

Blunt has been the agency's chief executive officer since 2004.