Debit Card Bill Amended to Apply to All Indemnity Payments

What started as a proposal to allow one California carrier to participate in a pilot project testing the feasibility of using debit cards to pay temporary disability benefits has now expanded to cover all carriers and all indemnity payments. Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, on Monday introduced amendments to SB 880, eliminating the word “temporary” from the bill. The bill would now authorize employers to make “disability indemnity payments” using a prepaid card through Jan. 1, 2023. When Pan introduced the bill in January, it would have allowed State Compensation ...