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Kansas Governor Signs Workers’ Comp Reform Bill

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a workers’ compensation reform bill backed by both business and labor groups.

Leaders from business and labor groups worked nearly a year to reach an agreement on House bill 2134, which won unanimous passage in the legislature, according to an announcement released by governor’s office.

Highlights of HB 2134 include:

• It ends payment of unwarranted claims by raising the threshold required for an incident to be compensable under the Workers’ Comp. Act.
• It overturns numerous court decisions that erode the intent of the workers’ compensation system.
• It clarifies employers are entitled to a credit for pre-existing conditions. The employer pays only for what happens under his watch.
• Increases benefit caps significantly for injured workers who have lost the capacity to work.
• Employers will now be required to provide names of two alternative doctors instead of three.

The Substitute for House Bill 2134 is the first significant reform to workers’ compensation laws in the state since 1993, the governor’s office said.

Kansas was one of nine states to first adopt workers’ compensation laws in 1911.

Source: Kansas Governor’s Office