BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 335
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 13, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                AB 335 (Solorio) - As Introduced:  February 10, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              InsuranceVote:11 
          - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Administrative Director (AD) of the 
          Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) to adopt new notices and 
          rules governing notices that are provided to employees in the 
          workers' compensation system.  Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Expands the subjects that benefit notices shall include by 
            adding notice of supplemental job displacement benefits, 
            rights concerning selection of a personal treating physician, 
            requests for comprehensive medical evaluation, and offers of 
            regular, modified, or alternative work.

          2)Requires the AD to prepare, and make readily available, 
            including on the DWC website, a booklet written in plain 
            language that describes the overall workers' compensation 
            claims system, including the rights and obligations of 
            employees and employers at every stage of a claim when a 
            notice is required.

          3)Adds a requirement that each notice prescribed by the AD be in 
            plain language, and include a citation to the place in the 
            booklet that discusses relevant information.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Costs between $300,000 and $600,000 from the Workers' 
          Compensation Administrative Revolving Fund for the 
          administrative costs of new notices and printing and mailing 
          costs associated with the required booklet.

           COMMENTS  








                                                                  AB 335
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           1)Rationale  . This bill was introduced at the suggestion of the 
            California Coalition on Workers' Compensation in order to 
            implement the recommendations made by the CHSWC in its July, 
            2010 "Report on Benefit Notices and Recommendations."  The 
            language in the bill reflects the language recommended in that 
            report.
           
          2)Background  :  In response to widespread concern that the system 
            of notifying injured workers of their rights, and how to 
            navigate, in the workers' compensation system was failing, the 
            CHSWC undertook an evaluation of the efficacy of the notices 
            that are provided to injured workers.  This evaluation 
            included working with all relevant stakeholders to determine 
            what the goals of these notices should be, whether the goals 
            were being met, and if not, what could be done to improve the 
            situation.
           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081