Senate Passes Amended Comp Bills

The Hawaii Senate returned amended bills addressing treatment plans, vocational rehabilitation and functional capacity exams to the state House of Representatives for additional debate. The Senate on Tuesday voted 25-0 to pass HB 1509, HB 1514 and HB 1515. HB 1509 would authorize penalties if employers don't file a timely response accepting or objecting to a physician's proposed treatment plan. The bill was amended in the Senate to require employers to file a response within seven days, instead of 10 days as the bill initially proposed.  To justify a denial, employers would be...