SB 1076: Administrative Workers' Compensation Act; modifying definitions. Effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted from the House version to the Senate floor version, with minor formatting adjustments to spacing and indentation. The substantive policy content, definitions, and provisions remain unchanged. No new requirements, exemptions, funding changes, or eligibility criteria were added or removed.

TECHNICAL

Formatting and spacing adjustments were made to align with Senate floor version standards, including header changes and indentation modifications.

SB1076 (3-18-25) (MURDOCK) FA1.PDF → Floor (House) · 11 edits

MAJOR

This bill updates the Administrative Workers' Compensation Act definitions in Oklahoma, clarifying terms like 'actually dependent,' 'carrier,' 'case management,' and 'case manager.' It also expands the definition of 'child' for compensation purposes and provides detailed criteria for what constitutes a compensable injury versus non-compensable injuries. These changes aim to modernize statutory language and improve clarity in workers' compensation determinations.

Scope change

The bill applies to all workers' compensation cases under Oklahoma's Administrative Workers' Compensation Act, with specific updates to how certain terms are defined and interpreted.

DEFINITION

Updated definition of 'actually dependent' to specify that a surviving spouse, child, or other person must receive one-half or more of their support from the employee.

Added new definition for 'carrier' to include stock companies, mutual companies, reciprocal or interinsurance exchanges authorized to write workers' compensation insurance.

Added comprehensive definition for 'case management' covering ongoing coordination of health care services, monitoring treatment, and ensuring cost-effective care.

Added detailed definition for 'case manager' requiring either a registered nursing license or specific certifications like CDMS, CCM, CRRN, CMC, COHN, or COHN-S with experience and continuing education requirements.

Added definition for 'certified workplace medical plan' as an organization certified by the State Commissioner of Health to provide medical care under the Act.

Expanded definition of 'child' to include children under 18, those 18+ who cannot support themselves, actually dependent children 18-23 who are full-time students, and posthumous or legally adopted children.

Added definition for 'claimant' as a person claiming benefits for an injury or occupational disease under the Act.

Added definition for 'commission' as the Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission.

Clarified definition of 'compensable injury' to specify it includes damage to the body or prosthetic appliances caused by accidents, cumulative trauma, or occupational disease arising from employment.

Added specific criteria for what constitutes an 'accident' including being unintended, occurring at a specific time and place, occurring by chance, or being independent of sickness.

Added exclusions from compensable injuries, including injuries from assaults or combats resulting from non-employment-related hostility, recreational or social activities for personal pleasure, and injuries inflicted on employees at work.

Committee Substitute → SB1076 (3-18-25) (MURDOCK) FA1.PDF · 3 edits

MINOR

The document shows a floor amendment to SB 1076 that modifies the compensation threshold amount from $100,000 to $135,000 and then to $150,000, while the main bill text shows updated definitions for workers' compensation terms. This changes the financial threshold for certain compensation benefits.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding compensation thresholds has been modified to increase the dollar amount for certain benefits.

FISCAL

Compensation threshold amount changed from $100,000 to $150,000

DEFINITION

Updated statutory definitions for workers' compensation terms including case management, case manager, and compensable injury

TECHNICAL

Added floor amendment documentation and committee amendment tracking information

Enrolled (final version) → Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill text was reformatted from an enrolled version to a committee substitute version, adding page numbers and session information while preserving the core legislative content. The substantive policy language regarding workers' compensation definitions remains unchanged, with no modifications to eligibility criteria, funding levels, or enforcement mechanisms.

TECHNICAL

Added page numbers and session information (1st Session of the 60th Legislature 2025) to the header section

Reformatted bill title and subject line with new line breaks and spacing

Added 'Committee Substitute' designation and sponsor information formatting

Inserted page number markers (Req. No. 1785) throughout the document

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 5 edits · May 12, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was finalized and enrolled for passage, with substantive changes to workers' compensation definitions. The most significant change is that 'compensable injury' now explicitly excludes injuries from assaults or combats unless they involve innocent victims, and injuries from horseplay are no longer compensable. The definition of 'case manager' was expanded to include various professional certifications beyond just registered nurses.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on workers' compensation definitions, but the eligibility criteria for compensable injuries have been narrowed to exclude certain workplace violence scenarios and horseplay incidents.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'compensable injury' was modified to explicitly exclude injuries from horseplay and to clarify that assaults or combats in the workplace are not compensable unless the victim is innocent.

The definition of 'case manager' was expanded to include multiple professional certifications (CDMS, CCM, CRRN, CMC, COHN, COHN-S) in addition to requiring a registered nursing license.

The definition of 'child' was modified to remove the age restriction for children of employees over 18 who are actually dependent, making the definition clearer about dependent status regardless of age.

The previous exclusion of injuries from horseplay was removed and replaced with a clearer statement that horseplay injuries are not compensable except for innocent victims.

New language was added clarifying that 'accident' means an event involving external factors that were unintended, unanticipated, unforeseen, unplanned, unexpected, occurred at a specifically identifiable time and place, occurred by chance or from unknown causes, or was independent of sickness, mental incapacity, bodily infirmity or any other cause.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MODERATE

This bill modifies definitions in Oklahoma's Administrative Workers' Compensation Act, primarily updating terminology and clarifying eligibility criteria for benefits. Key changes include redefining 'case manager' to require specific nursing certifications, updating the definition of 'child' for dependency purposes, and refining the definition of 'compensable injury' to explicitly exclude injuries from horseplay and clarify exclusions for recreational activities.

Scope change

The bill applies to all workers' compensation claims under the Administrative Workers' Compensation Act but modifies how certain terms are interpreted for determining eligibility and benefit calculations.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'case manager' to require a registered nurse license with specific certifications (CDMS, CCM, CRRN, CMC, COHN, or COHN-S) and experience requirements.

Modified the definition of 'child' to clarify age thresholds and dependency requirements for workers' compensation benefit eligibility.

Revised the definition of 'compensable injury' to explicitly exclude injuries from horseplay and clarify exclusions for recreational activities and substance-related injuries.

TECHNICAL

Updated statutory references and corrected formatting inconsistencies in the bill text.

Administrative Workers' Compensation Act; modifying definitions. Effective date.

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