TO MODIFY THE EMPLOYER'S LIABILITY UNDER THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION LAW THAT RESULTED FROM INITIATED MEASURE 1948, NO. 4.

Senate Bill 284 modifies Arkansas's workers' compensation law, impacting injured employees and employers. It changes the process for selecting treating physicians, allowing injured workers to choose their regular primary care physician for initial treatment, provided that physician complies with managed care requirements for specialist referrals. The bill also establishes new requirements for independent medical exams (IMEs), mandating that employers obtain commission approval and share all related records and reports with the injured worker or their counsel. Additionally, injured workers gain the right to depose IME examiners, subject to covering associated fees.