| Author | Subject: Oregon's Senate Bill 485-A Passes Senate |
| Del | Posted At 14:55:25 03/23/2001
The following was in the Oregon AFL-CIO Legislative Update this week. To subscribe (I recommend), visit their Legislative Program Web site (4-5 dozen pages in all) at http://www.oraflcio.unions-america.com/Legislative/index.htm Senate Approves Workers’ Comp Reform 25 to 5... The Oregon Senate approved by a 25 to 5 margin today the package of workers comp reforms negotiated by a labor-management group last year. These reforms, now incorporated in SB 485-A, will mean 10-20% more workplace injuries and occupational diseases will qualify for benefits under Oregon’s law. In a letter to Senators before the floor vote, Secretary-Treasurer Bard Witt said, “SB 485-A offers you the opportunity to enact the first pro-worker package of reforms to our workers’ compensation system in at least ten years.” Tim Nesbitt said in the same letter to Senators, “We recognize that there is a strong case to be made for even greater reforms of our workers’ compensation system than those contained in SB 485-A. For example, we would like to see greater restrictions on the use of pre-existing conditions to deny claims and safeguards to protect workers from biased IMEs. But a bill that will open up the system to 10% to 20% more injured workers, provide better benefits and give those workers, their advocates and their physicians more control over their fate once they’re in the system cannot be dismissed as an unworthy compromise. On balance, SB 485-A will make our workers compensation system more fair for injured workers.” SB 485-A was amended with changes approved by the Management-Labor Advisory Committee. These changes include a provision giving injured workers recourse to a medical arbiter to review denials based on an Insurance Medical Examiner (IME) report (instead of allowing workers to choose among three IMEs selected by an insurer) and another provision to expand the wage base for calculating benefits payable to injured workers who held more than one job. The five “no” votes on SB 485-A were: Senators Jason Atkinson (R-Jacksonville), Kate Brown (D-Portland), Margaret Carter (D-Portland), Lenn Hannon (R-Ashland) and Frank Shields (D-Portland). For a summary of the many provisions of the bill in its original form, log on to our website at oraflcio.unions-america.com. You can find a summary of the original agreement under: Today’s Hot Issues: Workers Comp” and a complete list of SB 485’s provisions in our legislative section under “Weekly Legislative Updates” for the weeks of 1/26/01 and 2/2/01. SB 485-A now goes to the House for Committee hearings. |
| Tarzan |
Re: Oregon's Senate Bill 485-A Passes Senate (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 21:35:46 04/04/2001 I'll never understand how LIE pseudodoctors fuller and radecki, can have more to say than a doctor, whos spent more time in surgery, then they did doing LIE exams. Yes two. One fuller and radecki, the other radecki and seelig. fuller and radecki 13-pages, Dr. Cook, one paragraph. And the Administrative Law Judge says, the more words, is easier to believe, or how ever she worded it. Same Same. So 4 surgeries, and I'm the fraud. And still no work. I'm completely convinced there's only one way to go back to work, and that's with my tools on. |
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