Bill > HB5186

This bill modifies the Michigan Workers' Compensation Act to make several significant changes to how workers' compensation benefits are calculated and awarded. The key provisions include increasing wage loss benefits from 80% to 90% of an employee's after-tax average weekly wage, expanding the definition of compensable work-related injuries to include conditions that are aggravated, accelerated, or worsened by work, and introducing new criteria for determining disability and wage loss. The bill adds two new specific loss categories: serious and permanent scarring to the face or head (52 weeks) and serious impairment of an important body function (52 weeks). It also changes how an employee's ability to work is evaluated, removing previous language about transferable work skills and focusing more on the employee's ability to obtain jobs within their qualifications and training. The bill provides more protections for employees by making it harder for employers to deny benefits and by clarifying that other contributing factors to wage loss do not affect benefit payments. Additionally, the legislation repeals several existing sections of the workers' compensation law, streamlining the legal framework for workplace injury compensation in Michigan.

Government Affairs

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-5186