Bill Would Authorize 20% Penalty for Late-Paid TPD

An employer or insurance company that fails to pay temporary partial disability benefits owed an injured worker in Hawaii within 14 days would be required to increase the benefit amount by 20% under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives. Current law requires a 20% increase in unpaid temporary total disability benefits, but House Bill 679, introduced Monday by Rep. Mark Nakashima, D-Hamakua, would expand that to cover temporary partial claims as well. The bill would also declare that a failure by the primary treating physician to certify dates of disability would not automat...