Bill > H3151

This bill aims to increase injured workers' access to medical care and workers' compensation benefits. The key provisions include: 1. Expanding the grounds for which workers can file for workers' compensation benefits to include disputes over employee status or average weekly wages. 2. Requiring insurers, including the Trust Fund, to consider all available evidence when determining a worker's average weekly wages, including wages they were legally entitled to receive. 3. Prohibiting insurers from refusing to commence weekly benefit payments due to an employer's failure to respond or provide information, and instead allowing them to base the decision on the worker's evidence. 4. Mandating the provision of qualified interpreters for workers with limited English proficiency in various workers' compensation proceedings. 5. Expanding the responsibilities of the Trust Fund to include arranging and directly paying for transportation and other services necessary for workers to access healthcare. 6. Allowing the Trust Fund to make initial weekly benefit payments in certain disputed cases and recover from the responsible insurer later.

Health and Social Services, Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H3151