Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday signed into law various changes to the state’s workers compensation system including an increase in compensation maximums for temporary and permanent disability payments.
The governor signed Senate Bill 430, which she called a “win for our workforce, our businesses, and organized labor.”
“The changes to the Kansas Workers Compensation Act will keep employers’ costs down while ensuring injured workers receive treatment in a timely manner,” Gov. Kelly said in a statement.
Among the bill’s highlights are a cost-of-living adjustment to maximum benefit injured worker caps starting in 2027, a limit placed on the use of independent medical exams, a requirement for parties to exchange medical records prior to preliminary hearings, the ability to settle in writing rather than through hearings, and comp coverage provided to Kansas National Guard members.
The new law also reduces by 50% workers comp benefits paid to injured employees who already receive Social Security benefits. The reduction would not apply to temporary total or partial disability compensation.
The governor’s office said the bill was a collaboration between business and labor and that it helps to create a more “fair and equitable system.”