Labor & Employment (Workers' Compensation)

HB 780 strengthens protections for Louisiana workers by imposing penalties on employers or insurers who delay or deny workers' compensation payments or medical treatment. It sets daily penalties of up to $50 (capped at $2,000 per claim) or 12% of unpaid benefits, plus attorney fees, unless the delay was reasonable. Employers must send specific written notices within 3 business days when modifying benefits and respond to employee payment demands within 7 business days to avoid penalties. Total penalties at a hearing are capped at $8,000, and attorney fees from penalty cases are exempt from standard fee limits.

HB 819 updates Louisiana's workers' compensation medical treatment guidelines by adopting evidence-based Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) as the standard for non-covered treatments. It directly affects injured workers, employers, and healthcare providers by requiring all medical treatments not listed in the official schedule to follow strict, current evidence-based criteria. Key provisions mandate that such treatments must rely on comprehensive medical literature reviews, address potential biases, use the most recent guidelines (within five years), and align with interdisciplinary standards. The bill repeals outdated sections to streamline the process, ensuring treatments are scientifically supported and cost-effective for workers' compensation cases.