The Senate Commerce Committee took the first step in passing Senate Bill 430, a comprehensive workers compensation reform bill that was negotiated over the past year by business and labor attorneys.
Most notably, the bill proposes increases to benefit caps, which in Kansas are some of the lowest in the country. The bill also extends the amount of time an injured worker has to report an injury. Most important to the business community is the bill retains guardrails put in place during the last two comprehensive reforms in 2011 and 2013, including preservation of the prevailing factor standard that requires the work incident to be the primary factor of the claimant’s injury to be eligible for benefits.
The bill is expected to be worked this week by the full Senate.
