Maine Governor Vetoes Workers’ Comp Bill

On Tuesday Maine’s Governor Angus King vetoed a workers’ compensation bill (LD 1175) that contained provisions which would have automatically entitled injured workers to full compensation during full-time rehabilitation. The American Insurance Ass’n. strongly opposed the measure.

“This bill undermined the basic principle of determining benefits based on the worker’s earning capacity after the injury,” said James Harrington AIA VP, for the Northeast Region. “That determination must be made on a case by case basis.”

King’s veto message indicated that he felt that the State’s Workers’ Compensation Board had the necessary authority “to award an appropriate level of disability benefits to these workers.” He indicated that a law that “presumptively requires payment” would have undermined “the balance in the workers’ compensation system.”|”maine, governor, vetoes, workers’, comp, bill

Topics Workers' Compensation