Committee to Hear Bill that Would Roll Back Benefit Hikes

A bill that would reduce indemnity benefits for claimants whose permanency awards are for less than 75 weeks is one of four workers' comp bills scheduled for a Feb. 23 hearing by the House of Representatives' Economic Matters Committee. House Bill 693 by Delegate Benjamin F. Kramer, D-Montgomery County, would essentially roll back a series of increases to so-called "first-tier" benefits that were phased in from 2009 to 2011. Kramer's bill would reduce weekly benefit maximums for first-tier claimants from 16.7% of the state's average weekly wage ($172 in 2016) to ...