Bill > AB1329

This bill modifies California's workers' compensation laws, specifically focusing on the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF), which provides additional compensation to employees with pre-existing disabilities who suffer subsequent work-related injuries. For compensable subsequent injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2026, the bill establishes new requirements for determining eligibility for special additional compensation, including requiring substantial evidence that a prior permanent partial disability predated the subsequent injury and impacted the employee's work or daily living activities. The bill specifically excludes certain conditions like acid reflux, diabetes, sleep apnea, and sexual dysfunction from being considered preexisting disabilities. It requires employees to file an application for special additional compensation within five years of the subsequent injury or one year after the permanent disability level is determined, whichever is later. The bill also mandates the administrative director to create a database of qualified medical evaluators for these claims and replaces the State Compensation Insurance Fund with the Director of Industrial Relations as the entity responsible for paying additional compensation. Additionally, the bill clarifies how permanent disability will be measured for injuries occurring between 2005 and 2013, and from 2013 onward, using the American Medical Association Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment and specific adjustment factors.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry, Labor and Employment

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1329