House Approves 44% Increase in PPD Benefits

The Alaska House of Representatives on Wednesday voted 25-12 to pass a bill that would increase permanent partial disability benefits by 44%. House Bill 30, introduced in 2019 by Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, would also allow dependents to receive death benefits up to the age of 23 when there is no widow or widower. Permanent partial disability benefits are calculated by multiplying an injured worker’s percentage of permanent impairment by a fixed number, currently $177,000. HB 30 would increase the number to $255,506 at the start of 2021. An analysis of the bill projects the ...