Lawmakers seek to revamp deadlines on medical benefits

Lawmakers in Kentucky on Monday introduced legislation that would amend the state’s workers compensation to make employers cover the medical benefits for an injured worker during the duration of their disability.

H.B. 59 would strike out language that limits such payments of medical benefits to 780 weeks to state that “the employer shall pay for the cure and relief from the effects of an injury or occupational disease the medical, surgical, and hospital treatment, including nursing, medical, and surgical supplies and appliances, as may reasonably be required at the time of the injury and thereafter during disability…or as may be required for the cure and treatment of an occupational disease.”

The bill would also strike out language requiring the employee to file an application for the continuation of benefits.

On income benefits, the bill retains the language that the “employer’s obligation to pay the benefits specified… shall continue for so long as the employee is disabled regardless of the duration of the employee’s income benefits.”