DWC: SB 863 Trimmed 2013 Rate Hike by 3%, Increased Benefits

Senate Bill 863 may not have reduced employer costs, but it did trim three percentage points from a rate hike approved in January 2013, the Division of Workers' Compensation concludes in a report on the reform bill released Thursday. The report noted that the bill also increased permanent disability benefits by 30% over two years. "DIR took a balanced approach to putting SB 863’s reforms into practice,” stated Department of Industrial Relations Director Christine Baker in a press release. "The priority was to increase the benefits in 2013, reduce frictional costs an...