Ohio Governor DeWine signed House Bill 81, legislation that will change numerous aspects of the state’s worker’s compensation system. The bill was signed on June 16th.

House Bill 81 was made to cover workers’ compensation to detention facility employees, corrections officers, and other safety officers in case they are exposed to an individual’s blood or other bodily fluids during their work.

The bill has been developed as a clean-up bill for different workers’ compensation initiatives that remained from the state’s budget bill last spring. 

House Bill 81 intends several other changes to workers’ compensation laws.

The bill will codify the voluntary abandonment doctrine about temporary total disability claims, superseding preexisting judicial decisions on the subject.

It will reduce the statute of limitations for filing for violation of a specific safety requirement to one year from the date of injury.

Next, it would prohibit employers from denying or withdrawing from a proposed settlement, if the employee is no longer employed or if the claim was not filed within the date of impact for the employer’s experience and premium calculation.

The bill will make changes in the date so the Industrial Commission can request continuing jurisdiction to the date of medical services, instead of the date of payment.

Funeral expenses benefit cap would increase from $5,500 to $7,500. The appeal period under R.C.  § 4123.512,  would expand. In some cases, it would go from 60 to 150 days for claims pending on and beginning after September 29, 2017.

Workplace injuries happen frequently and every injured worker should check whether they are entitled to get workers’ compensation.

Usually, employers are not withholding these claims, but in case you have issues getting your settlement, you should consult a workers’ compensation attorney.

Our team at Ohio Workers Compensation Lawyers is here for you; call us today.

Source: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/governor-dewine-approves-numerous-91624/