An Act To Create Fairness by Reinstituting the Cost-of-living Adjustment for Workers' Compensation Benefits
Sec. 1. 39-A MRSA §212, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
The annual adjustment must be made on the 3rd and each succeeding anniversary date of the injury, except that when the effect of the maximum under section 211 is to reduce the amount of compensation to which the claimant would otherwise be entitled, the adjustment must be made annually on July 1st.
Sec. 2. 39-A MRSA §213, sub-§5 is enacted to read:
The annual adjustment must be made on the 3rd and each succeeding anniversary date of the injury, except that when the effect of the maximum under section 211 is to reduce the amount of compensation to which the claimant would otherwise be entitled, the adjustment must be made annually on July 1st.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes cost-of-living adjustments for workers' compensation benefits. Prior to the 1992 revision of the laws governing workers' compensation, benefits for total incapacity were adjusted annually based on the percentage increase or decrease in the state average weekly wage.