Workers Comp May Change in California

California legislators are considering a bill that could make it more difficult for an employee to gain workers compensation for occupational diseases or cumulative trauma.

Assembly Bill 221 says that employers would not be liable to cover medical treatment for occupational diseases or cumulative injuries unless the employer authorized the injured worker’s medical treatment or the employer accepted responsibility for a worker’s injury.

The bill also states that an employer can be liable for medical treatments for a cumulative injury or occupational disease if the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board finds that the treatment is compensable, or if a medical examiner finds that a worker’s injury was caused “in whole or in part” by the employer. 

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