Bill Text: IL HB6180 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Workers' Compensation Act. Provides that in making a determination of partial disability, the Commission shall base its determination upon, among other things, objective findings in medical records. Removes a provision that no single factor shall be the sole determinant of disability.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 4-1)
Status: (Failed) 2013-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HB6180 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2011-HB6180-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning employment.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Workers' Compensation Act is amended by | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | changing Section 8.1b as follows:
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6 | (820 ILCS 305/8.1b) | |||||||||||||||||||
7 | Sec. 8.1b. Determination of permanent partial disability. | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | For accidental injuries that occur on or after September 1, | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | 2011, permanent partial disability shall be established using | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | the following criteria: | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | (a) A physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | branches preparing a permanent partial disability impairment | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | report shall report the level of impairment in writing. The | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | report shall include an evaluation of medically defined and | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | professionally appropriate measurements of impairment that | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | include, but are not limited to: loss of range of motion; loss | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | of strength; measured atrophy of tissue mass consistent with | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | the injury; and any other measurements that establish the | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | nature and extent of the impairment. The most current edition | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | of the American Medical Association's "Guides to the Evaluation | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | of Permanent Impairment" shall be used by the physician in | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | determining the level of impairment. | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | (b) In determining the level of permanent partial |
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1 | disability, the Commission shall base its determination on the | ||||||
2 | following factors: (i) the reported level of impairment | ||||||
3 | pursuant to subsection (a); (ii) the occupation of the injured | ||||||
4 | employee; (iii) the age of the employee at the time of the | ||||||
5 | injury; (iv) the employee's future earning capacity; and (v) | ||||||
6 | evidence of disability corroborated by objective findings in | ||||||
7 | the treating medical records. No single enumerated factor shall | ||||||
8 | be the sole determinant of disability. In determining the level | ||||||
9 | of disability, the relevance and weight of any factors used in | ||||||
10 | addition to the level of impairment as reported by the | ||||||
11 | physician must be explained in a written order.
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12 | (Source: P.A. 97-18, eff. 6-28-11.)
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