Overall, the 2022 calendar year remained stable with regards to workers’ compensation legislation. One may ask why states are not doing more to reform or shake up their workers’ compensation system? The answer: premiums are stable and continue to trend downward. Activity in workers’ compensation increases as premium rise and threaten the business environment in any given state. The stability of workers’ compensation is expected to continue for several more years. As such, do not to expect to see a lot of legislation addressing universal issues, but rather legislation targeted at minor tweaks in any given state’s system.
This proved to be true in 2022 when no overhaul legislation was introduced, and no obvious trends emerged at the national level. But, we are seeing some similar legislation amongst states that are interesting to note. Examples include legislation that addresses cancer in firefighters and COVID-19, as well as a resurfaced discussion of mental illness in the workers’ compensation arena. In the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s, all states eliminated mental health as compensable conditions in workers’ compensation. Historically, PTSD has been restricted to first responders. Today, mental health is now being considered for inclusion in coverage in some states. This past legislative session continued to see a number of states introducing legislation addressing these topics.
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