Legislation aimed at reforming the Oklahoma workers’ compensation system has passed the state’s House of Representatives.
House Bills 1611, 2652, 2658 and 2659 now move to the Senate for consideration. The titles are off the bills, meaning they remain works in progress, said author Rep. Dan Sullivan.
The legislation seeks to significantly improve employee benefits and lower business expenses, making Oklahoma more attractive to new industry. There is currently deep dissatisfaction with the workers’ comp system, which is plagued by fraud and high costs and rarely produces consistently fair and equitable results, according to information released by the House.
Despite the fact that the benefits specified in state law are comparable to work comp benefits in other states, the actual cost of those benefits in Oklahoma is the most expensive in the nation.
Some of the reforms being sought will include defining the term “surgery” for purposes of compensation, strengthening the value-added attorney fee provision and capping the time for temporary total disability.
A reduction in the number of workers’ comp judges may also be considered, coupled with a more equitable distribution of judges between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Source: Oklahoma House of Representatives
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