Advisory Council Meeting Next Week

Wednesday, June 19, 2019 | 0

Wisconsin’s Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council is meeting Tuesday and June 27 in Madison.

Agendas for the meetings are light on details. Topics for discussion include correspondence, other business and “labor and management proposals.”

Minutes from a May 23 meeting identify at least 36 legislative proposals from labor or management.

Proposals from management include allowing employers to direct care for the first 90 days of treatment, requiring providers to use electronic billing and electronic medical records, and adopting treatment guidelines.

Other business proposals include allowing employers to request the re-evaluation of a permanent total disability rating every three years and terminating permanent total disability benefits when an injured worker starts collecting Social Security.

Labor, meanwhile, wants to increase permanent partial disability benefits, by about 5%, and to raise the temporary disability benefit, from 66.67% of the average weekly wage, to 80%.

Labor is also recommending a statutory scholarship benefit for the children of workers who are killed or permanently and totally disabled as a result of a work injury. The scholarship would be the amount needed to cover tuition, room, board and books for up to four years.

The advisory council meets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. The meetings will be held in room F305 of the GEF-1 building at 201 E. Washington Ave. in Madison.

Agendas, minutes and additional information about the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council are here.