Kansas Governor Signs Workers’ Comp Reform Bill

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a workers’ compensation reform bill backed by both business and labor groups.

Among other things, House Bill 2134: ends payment of unwarranted claims by raising the threshold required for an incident to be compensable under the Workers’ Comp Act; overturns numerous court decisions that erode the intent of the workers’ comp system; and increases benefit caps significantly for injured workers who have lost the capacity to work.

It also clarifies employers are entitled to a credit for pre-existing conditions.

Kansas was one of nine states to first adopt workers’ compensation laws in 1911.