State workers' compensation: legislation enacted in 1987, (EXCERPT), Monthly Labor Review Online

State workers' compensation: legislation enacted in 1987

LaVerne C. Tinsley

As of October 1, 1987, 232 amendments affecting State workers' compensation programs had been enacted by 38 States. Significant changes were made in workers' compensation statutes covering medical care and vocational rehabilitation in 18 States. Seven States revised occupational disease statutes; in Oregon, the statute of limitations for filing claims was reduced from 5 years to 1 year. Other laws were amended covering insurance, attorney fees, and penalties, and fines were established to cover violations.

Connecticut increased the percentage of the State average weekly wage upon which benefits are based for disability and death to 150 percent, formerly 100 percent. But New Mexico reduced the percentage of the State average weekly wage used in determining compensation for total disability from 100 percent to 85 percent. The freeze on benefits for disability and death was extended for an additional month in Maine. A new freeze was placed on 1987 compensation rates n Montana.

Several States now allow garnishment of compensation benefits for the support of dependent children of workers' compensation recipients.

This excerpt is from an article published January 1988 in the issue of the Monthly Labor Review. The full text of the article is available in Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document Format (PDF). See How to view a PDF file for more information.

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