For years, politicians have blamed
Employers aren’t the only ones who will benefit from this bill, however. The maximum weekly benefit for injured employees will rise from $400.00 (unchanged in the last 15 years) to $500.00 in year 1, $550.00 in year 2, $600.00 in year 3, and to two-thirds of
These increased benefits do come at a cost. The length of time that a permanently injured worker can collect benefits for a partial disability will be capped at between four and 10 years, depending upon the seriousness of the disability. This means that a worker could be cut off from benefits even though they are unable to return to work because of their on the job injury.
The state hopes to recoup the cost of increased benefits by setting a fee schedule for doctors providing medical care to injured workers, by increasing the penalties and sanctions on businesses and employees who try to cheat the system, and by doubling the size of its antifraud unit to catch the cheaters.
Will these changes to the workers’ compensation system yield the promised results? Only time will allow us to answer that question. But whether these changes work or not, our legislature deserves a hand for finally attempting to fix