NY A02989 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly
Status
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 22-1)
Status: Introduced on January 22 2009 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2010-06-08 - held for consideration in labor
Pending: Assembly Labor Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [HTML]
Status: Introduced on January 22 2009 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2010-06-08 - held for consideration in labor
Pending: Assembly Labor Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [HTML]
Summary
To amend the Workers' Compensation Law to provide that permanent partial disability shall be compensated based upon objective impairment ratings; to cap permanent partial disability supplemental benefits at 500 weeks; to provide for an immediate increase in the maximum weekly benefit to $500; to appoint a committee of expert medical consultants to develop objective medical guidelines for the determination of percentage of permanent impairment; to establish a worker's compensation benefit evaluation commission to study the sufficiency of benefit levels, examine overall costs for employers, and recommend whether cost savings enacted pursuant to this measure would allow the maximum benefit rate to increase to two-thirds the state's average weekly wage, without increasing costs to employers; to expedite the timeframe for an initial pre-hearing conference on controverted claims and require that benefit payments begin within 90 days on such claims; to adopt a pharmaceutical fee schedule and authorize nominal pharmaceutical co-payments; to increase the cap for pre-authorization of specialist consultations and grant enhanced authority to pre-approve certain additional treatments; to reduce the second injury fund reserve assessment; to increase penalties for workers' compensation fraud and empower the worker's compensation fraud inspector general to prosecute such cases; to create a workers' compensation law hotline to assist employers and workers; and to require the superintendent of insurance to promulgate rules and regulations regarding how the compensation insurance rating board collects and publicly releases data on premiums and losses. These comprehensive workers' compensation reforms will reduce costs to employers, while increasing benefits to injured workers.
Title
An act to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to permanent partial disability, establishing objective medical guidelines, a benefit evaluation commission and pharmaceutical fee schedule, and providing for penalties for workers' compensation fraud; to amend the labor law, in relation to the use of scaffolding and other devices for use by employees; to amend the civil practice law and rules, in relation to making technical corrections thereto; to repeal section 241-a of the labor law, subdivision 8 of section 1602 of the civil practice law and rules and repealing certain provisions of the workers' compensation law relating thereto
Sponsors
History
| Date | Chamber | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-08 | held for consideration in labor | |
| 2010-01-06 | referred to labor | |
| 2009-01-22 | referred to labor |
