Missouri: Legislative panels approve various changes to comp system

People in Missouri may be hired more quickly if the prospective employer can look online to see if there is a history of filing workers' comp claims. That's the idea behind a proposed online database for businesses.

The proposal is included in S.B. 34 and was passed by a Senate committee in mid-February. Members of both political parties on the committee voted in favor of the measure.

As one senator explained, employers can get information now but must do so in writing, which can delay the hiring process for weeks. The Division of Workers' Compensation says the database initially would include more than 550,000 claim records with about another 13,000 added each year.

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Another measure passed by the Senate and sent to the House would mandate that occupational disease claims be handled through the workers' comp system. Supporters say it would protect employers from high-dollar lawsuits while protecting people suffering from specific diseases caused by exposure to toxins through an enhanced benefit.

S.B. 1 would also add money to the state's Second Injury Fund by increasing fees business may be charged and restricting the types of injuries that would be covered.

Read more at the WorkersComp Forum homepage.

March 4, 2013

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