State Rep. Wants Review of Comp System

Thursday, December 6, 2018 | 0

A Nevada lawmaker wants to review the state’s workers’ compensation laws when the Legislature convenes for the 2019 session in February.

Rep. Mike Sprinkle

Rep. Mike Sprinkle, a Democrat from northern Nevada, said media reports and anecdotal stories he’s heard suggest employers are issuing denials as “an almost automatic response to whenever somebody puts in a workers’ comp claim,” according to a report by the ABC affiliate in Las Vegas.

Sprinkle reportedly told the television station that he is pursuing changes to the work comp laws next year, but he did not elaborate on his plans. As of Wednesday, nothing had been pre-filed, according to information available from the Legislature’s website.

“I think we’re at a point now where there has to be a much deeper look from a lawmaker’s perspective, from the government’s perspective, as to what’s going on,” Sprinkle told the television station.

Democrats increased their majority in both chambers of the Nevada Legislature after the Nov. 6 election. They will outnumber Republicans 29-13 in the Assembly and 13-9 in the Senate in the upcoming session, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures.

Sprinkle reportedly took an interest in workers’ compensation after watching a story by the television station in September about the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department delaying claims filed by officers.