As you know, I have been working with a group of dedicated workers’ comp attorneys to try to defeat some nasty bills that would significantly cut your benefits. Specifically, Assembly Bill 229 would require that rating doctors use the 6th edition of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairments instead of the current 5th edition. The self-insured employers and Employers Insurance in particular are sponsoring this legislation. It would reduce PPD awards by over a third in many cases. The legislators on the Committee for Commerce and Labor have been mislead into thinking that PPD awards are a windfall to injured workers. They do not know injured workers as real people as I do.
I know that after a devastating injury when a worker is off work for weeks or months only receiving 2/3 of his or her average monthly wage, there are bills and debts that must be paid from the award. These PPD awards are based on how much money the worker is making at the time of the accident and how old the injured worker is when the award is offered. That means that if you have the horrible luck of getting injured while working an interim job where you are making little wages, your award for a permanent injury will not be much. It also means that if you are an older injured worker, you get screwed even more so, and your award is not much at all. Now, the legislators are being convinced into believing that these awards should be reduced even more.
PLEASE, PLEASE write to the following legislators and tell them why PPD awards should not be rated using the 6th edition of the Guides. Tell them your real story about how necessary this money will be to get you back on your feet financially. I need this right away. They do not give us any advance notice about when these bills are going to be heard. Bill 229 committee member emails:
Randy.Kirner@asm.state.nv.us; Victoria.Seaman@asm.state.nv.us; Paul.Anderson@asm.state.nv.us; John.Ellison@asm.state.nv.us; Michele.Fiore@asm.state.nv.us; Ira.Hansen@asm.state.nv.us; Erven.Nelson@asm.state.nv.us; PK.Oneill@asm.state.nv.us; Stephen.Silberkraus@asm.state.nv.us; Irene.BustamanteAdams@asm.state.nv.us; Maggie.Carlton@asm.state.nv.us; Olivia.Diaz@asm.state.nv.us; Marilyn.Kirkpatrick@asm.state.nv.us; Dina.Neal@asm.state.nv.us; James.Ohrenschall@asm.state.nv.us;
This is your chance to be heard. Thank you.
Additionally, there is a direct link to the legislative site where you can post additional comments about proposed legislation:
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/app/opinions/78th2015/a/.
