DWC Posts Reform Bill FAQ

DWC Posts Reform Bill FAQ

The California Division of Workers’ Compensation added a new page to the Senate Bill 863 page of its website that answers frequently asked questions about the reform bill that takes effect Jan. 1, 2013.

The FAQ page provides basic information including a brief description saying the measure was developed through months of negotiations between labor unions and employers with the two goals of increasing permanent disability benefits and reducing the costs and time it takes to deliver benefits to injured workers and resolve disputes. The page also has a timeline for when various provisions in the bill take effect.

The division is providing information about specific provisions in the bill, such as independent medical review and independent bill review, new administrative processes to resolve treatment and payment disputes. Other sections provide an explanation of provisions in the bill that implement a $150 lien filing fee and a $100 lien activation fee, a new process for delivering the supplemental job displacement benefit voucher before an injured worker has an impairment rating.

Other topics covered on the webpage include:

• The prohibition on chiropractors serving as the primary treating physician after 24 visits.
• The 10 office location limit for qualified medical examiners.
• Allowing workers to predesignate a treating physician if they have health insurance.
• New minimum and maximum permanent disability benefits and the effect of eliminating sleep, sexual and psychological conditions from being used to calculate permanent disability awards.

The FAQ page is intended to help system users better understand the changes that will be coming to California’s workers’ compensation system, according to Destie Overpeck, acting administrative director of the DWC.

“Our goal is to help everyone understand SB 863 so they can be prepared,” Overpeck said in a statement. “We intend to update the page as new questions come in and each set of regulations is implemented.”

The FAQ page can be viewed by clicking here.