The main elements of the program overhaul include:
• Altered eligibility requirements and the creation of a 10-year cap for employees who are permanently impaired with partial incapacity.• The elimination of a requirement that employers must continue paying benefits during an appeal.
• A new appeals divisions with authority to create rules of procedure.
• A shortened time period in which a notice of injury must be given, from 90 days to 30 days.
• A changed maximum benefit, from 80 percent of an employee’s net weekly wages to 66 percent of gross weekly wages.
