Workers’ Comp Claims Review Proposal Up for Comment
The Division of Workers' Compensation on Wednesday released a set of proposed regulations that would create new penalties for companies that improperly delay medical reviews in workers' compensation cases, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Workers' compensation claimants say that insurers and employers have taken advantage of a lack of penalties and delayed the medical review process.
The proposed regulations would maintain some heavy fines that employers and insurers oppose but would minimize penalties for lesser problems related to paperwork, according to the Chronicle.
The state still proposes a $5,000 penalty if medical treatment is denied solely because it is not authorized by the state's new treatment guidelines.
As many as 30,000 workers' compensation claimants in California might be affected annually by improper delays or denials of treatment requests, according to state officials.
Attorneys who represent injured workers consider the penalties weak but say they are better than no penalties.
The state will collect public comment on the proposed regulations through Feb. 22 (Abate, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/8).