Bills Would Revise 'B' Reader Rules, Nix Benefit Cap and Require Coverage for Vaccines

Kentucky lawmakers kicked off the 2022 legislative session by introducing bills that would revise “B” reader requirements for doctors evaluating occupational disease claims, eliminate a 780-week cap on medical benefits and define adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines as compensable injuries. Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty, D-Martin, introduced House Bill 162, which would require employers to pay medical benefits for the period that an injured worker is disabled. The bill would eliminate a statute that limits the requirement to provide medical care for no more than 780 weeks from...