Bill > LB1056

This bill, amending the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act, introduces several key changes aimed at improving benefits and access to services for injured workers. It mandates that employers cover the costs of interpreter services when an employee cannot readily understand or communicate in English with medical providers or during examinations, with interpreters chosen from a specific court-approved register. The bill also revises compensation schedules, increasing the percentage of wages paid for various types of disabilities and permanent injuries, and extends the duration for which partial disability benefits can be paid. Furthermore, it establishes a system for annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) to weekly income benefits that last longer than twelve months, starting in 2027, to help maintain their value over time, and increases the maximum weekly income benefit for death cases. The bill also clarifies how wages are calculated for compensation purposes, ensuring overtime is included if premiums were paid on it, and makes provisions for benefits to be paid to a deceased employee's personal representative if there are no other dependents.

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https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=63140