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History
- Referred to rules
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Relates to rates of payment and delivery of health care services
In Assembly Committee · Labor · Sponsor Joseph Lentol
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S8449
Title of bill
An act to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to the establishment of rates of payment and delivery of health care services
Purpose
To require the Workers' Compensation Board to biennially prepare and establish rate schedules for health care rendered under the workers' compensation system by podiatrists, chiropractor and psychol- ogists and to require the board to publish, within 30 days of enactment of this legislation, the existing schedule of rates.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill requires the Workers' Compensation Board to biennially prepare and establish rate schedules for health care delivered under the workers' compensation system by podiatrists.
Section 2 of the bill requires the Workers' Compensation Board to bien- nially prepare and establish rate schedules for health care delivered under the workers' compensation system by chiropractors.
Section 3 the bill requires the Workers' Compensation Board to biennial- ly prepare and establish rate schedules for health care delivered under the workers' compensation system by psychologists.
Section 4 requires the board to publish the existing schedule for podia- trists, chiropractors and psychologists within 30 days of the legis- lation taking effect and subsequent biennial schedules by January 15.
Section 5 is the effective date.
Justification
The Workers' Compensation Board has not adjusted rates of payment for health care providers for over ten years. Today, New York's rates are the lowest or near the lowest in the country for many health care services. Payments for health care services rendered pursu- ant to the workers' compensation system do not reflect the current cost for providing health care, including increased labor, property and ener- gy costs. As a result, numerous providers no longer participate in the workers' compensation system, and those that do struggle to maintain quality services in light of the low payment levels. The bill would also require the Workers' Compensation Board to undertake the process of examining the appropriateness of rates of payment biennially, something the Board is currently not required to do. These issues were addressed in by the Legislature in S4631-A/A4302-A. However, that legislation inadvertently left out podiatrists, chiropractors and psychologists as that bill amended just section 13 of the workers compensation law and the fee schedules for podiatrists, chiropractors and psychologists are under sections 13-k,13-l and 13-m of the workers compensation law. This chapter amendment is needed to remedy this oversight and ensure that all health care providers in the workers' compensation system are treated equally.
Legislative history
New Bill
Fiscal implications
None
Effective date
Immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.