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SB 430

AN ACT concerning workers compensation; relating to coverage under the act, notice, benefits, liability limitations, definitions, evidentiary standards, hearings, admission of evidence, procedures, settlements and other matters; providing coverage for members of the Kansas national guard under the workers compensation act; limiting reduction to awards for functional impairment on the basis of preexisting impairment to preexisting impairment to the same physical structure as the body part injured; limiting reductions to benefits based on retirement benefits; defining registered mail; requiring a judicial determination of dependency for immediate payment of death benefit; increasing the maximum amount of death benefits; extending the time period for payments to dependent children when in schools; providing for a yearly adjustment to the maximum death benefit to commence in 2027; increasing the minimum weekly payment for permanent total disability; adding certain functional impairment requirements to the determination of permanent total disability; increasing the minimum weekly payment amount for temporary total disability; providing that loss of use of a scheduled member shall be the percentage of functional impairment the employee sustained on account of the injury; reducing the percentage of functional impairment required for eligibility for permanent partial general disability compensation; increasing employers' maximum liability for permanent total disability, temporary total disability, permanent or temporary partial disability and permanent partial disability and providing for a yearly adjustment in such maximum liability limits to commence in 2027; applying an employer's credit for voluntary payments of unearned wages to any award; increasing the maximum employer liability for unauthorized medical care; increasing the evidentiary standard for future medical treatment after maximum medical improvement in certain circumstances; limiting proceedings for post-award medical benefits; creating a presumption that no costs or attorney fees be awarded when requests for post-award medical benefits are provided within 30 days; defining money for purposes of the average weekly wage; excluding the first week of employment in the calculation of an employee's average weekly wage under certain circumstances; allowing payment of certain benefits by electronic funds transfer or payment card; increasing employer liability for expenses of claimant for required examinations; establishing procedures for neutral healthcare examinations and for the exchange of medical reports between parties; providing for the admission of medical reports without necessity of additional foundation subject to compliance with certain procedures; extending deadlines for notice to an employer by an employee of injury; eliminating the three-year deadline for a claimant's motion to extend time for proceeding to avoid dismissal for lack of prosecution; prohibiting an award from including future medical treatment unless a specified standard of proof is met; clarifying certain language referencing a claimant; providing a procedure for expedited settlement on written stipulations by means of a form established by the director of workers compensation; allowing the record of hearings by digital recording and transcription by either a court reporter or a notary public; providing that certified reporters fees be taxed as costs if no record is taken; providing for the workers compensation fund to implead a principal as a party in a proceeding; providing for certain other changes to the workers compensation act; amending K.S.A. 44-501, 44-508, 44-510b, 44-510c, 44-510d, 44-510e, 44-510f, 44-510h, 44-510k, 44-511, 44-512, 44-515, 44-516, 44-519, 44-520, 44-523, 44-525, 44-526, 44-531, 44-534a, 44-552 and 44-566a and repealing the existing sections.

(printable version)

House - Emergency Final Action - Passed; - 03/27/2024

On roll call the vote was:

Yea - (122):

Alcala, Amyx, Anderson, Awerkamp, Ballard, Barth, Bergkamp, Bergquist, Blew, Blex, Bloom, Borjon, Bryce, Buehler, Butler, Carlin, Carmichael, B. Carpenter, W. Carpenter, Carr, Clifford, Collins, Concannon, Corbet, Croft, Curtis, Delperdang, Dodson, Droge, Ellis, Eplee, Essex, Estes, Fairchild, Featherston, Francis, Garber, Gardner, Goddard, Goetz, Haskins, Haswood, Hawkins, Helgerson, Highberger, Hill, Hoffman, Hoheisel, Hougland, Howe, Howell, Howerton, Hoye, Humphries, Jacobs, Johnson, Kessler, Landwehr, Lewis, Martinez, Mason, Maughan, McDonald, McNorton, Melton, Meyer, D. Miller, S. Miller, V. Miller, Minnix, Moser, Murphy, Neelly, Neighbor, Ohaebosim, Oropeza, Osman, Ousley, Owens, Penn, Pickert, Poskin, Probst, Proctor, Rahjes, Resman, Rhiley, Robinson, Roth, L. Ruiz, S. Ruiz, Sanders, Sawyer, Sawyer Clayton, Schlingensiepen, Schmoe, Schreiber, Seiwert, A. Smith, C. Smith, E. Smith, Stiens, Stogsdill, Sutton, Tarwater, Thomas, Thompson, Titus, Turk, Turner, Underhill, Waggoner, Wasinger, Waymaster, Weigel, White, K. Williams, L. Williams, Winn, Woodard, Xu, Younger,

Nay - (0):

Present but not Voting - (0):

Absent and Not Voting - (3):

Houser, Poetter Parshall, Vaughn,

Not Voting - (0):