03/17/2000 03:25 PM House L&C

HB 419-WORKERS' COMPENSATION                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG announced  the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  419,  "An Act  relating to  the  weekly rate  of                                                               
compensation  and  minimum  and maximum  compensation  rates  for                                                               
workers'  compensation;  specifying   components  of  a  workers'                                                               
compensation reemployment  plan; adjusting  workers' compensation                                                               
benefits  for  permanent  partial  impairment,  for  reemployment                                                               
plans,  for rehabilitation  benefits, for  widows, widowers,  and                                                               
orphans,   and  for   funerals;  relating   to  permanent   total                                                               
disability  of  an  employee receiving  rehabilitation  benefits;                                                               
relating  to calculation  of gross  weekly earnings  for workers'                                                               
compensation benefits for seasonal  and temporary workers and for                                                               
workers with  overtime or  premium pay;  setting time  limits for                                                               
requesting  a hearing  on claims  for workers'  compensation, for                                                               
selecting  a  rehabilitation  specialist,   and  for  payment  of                                                               
medical  bills;   relating  to  termination  and   to  waiver  of                                                               
rehabilitation   benefits,   obtaining  medical   releases,   and                                                               
resolving discovery  disputes relating to  workers' compensation;                                                               
setting  an   interest  rate  for   late  payments   of  workers'                                                               
compensation;  providing for  updating the  workers' compensation                                                               
medical fee schedule; and providing for an effective date."                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 0492                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SUSANNE OSBORN  testified via teleconference  from Wasilla.   She                                                               
stated:                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     I'm   a   state    worker   currently   on   [workers']                                                                    
     compensation.  I  am receiving no benefits.   I haven't                                                                    
     received any  benefits since November.   I'm  having to                                                                    
     start sell my belongings in  order to survive.  I think                                                                    
     that  this  bill  is  not  going  to  help  anybody  on                                                                    
     workmen's comp[ensation] and I am totally against it.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  ROKEBERG  asked  Mr.  Osborn if  she  has  applied  for                                                               
workers' compensation.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. OSBORN  answered that she  applied for  workers' compensation                                                               
and was on it until November.  She  was told she could go back to                                                               
work, but  her doctor advised  otherwise.   She was off  work for                                                               
another two weeks  without benefits.  She was then  ordered to go                                                               
back to work in December or  lose her job, even though her doctor                                                               
had written  indicating she  had post-traumatic  stress syndrome.                                                               
She returned to work January 3  and was asked if she was mentally                                                               
and physically able  to work.  It was indicated  that she was too                                                               
much of  a liability,  and she  was asked her  to leave  her job.                                                               
She left her job and currently has no benefits.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  ROKEBERG  said he  was  distressed  to hear  about  her                                                               
misfortune.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. OSBORN  said she, too,  is sorry.   She pointed out  that she                                                               
has suffered personal  trauma from this experience.   She depends                                                               
on friends  for food and has  overdue bills.  She  commented that                                                               
HB 419 is not going to help her at all.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  ROKEBERG replied,  "Well it  is intended  to raise  the                                                               
benefits to those beneficiaries that are receiving ..."                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. OSBORN said,  "Yeah, well, I'm not receiving  anything.  They                                                               
don't even want to talk to me right now."                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN   ROKEBERG   noted   that  the   Anchorage   Legislative                                                               
Information Office was no longer  connected.  He indicated HB 419                                                               
would be held over.