GOV REJECTS MEASURE HELPING INJURED WORKERS

Measure protects workers injured on the job through no fault of their own

AUGUSTA–Today, Governor Paul LePage vetoed a bill to strengthen workers’ compensation insurance benefits for workers who were injured on the job through no fault of their own.

“Injured workers have already been dealt a bad hand,” said Assistant Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson of Allagash, the sponsor of the bill. “They need to be able to focus on their health and not worry about when they’re going to lose the only benefits they have left.”

Last session, the Republican-controlled Legislature amended the 1992 Maine’s Workers’ Compensation Act.  Along with a number of changes, the new law altered the process and requirements by which injured workers receive benefits beyond the established 10-year threshold.

“Unfortunately, the governor looks at injured workers as disposable commodities,” said Senator John Patrick of Rumford, who is a co-sponsor of the bill and the Senate chair of the Labor Committee. “We should do better. This is Maine and we don’t turn our backs on our workers.”

While the new law allows injured workers with 18 percent impairment to continue receiving benefits beyond the 10-year cap, an independent medical examiner must verify that the employee’s actual earnings are in line with their earning potential.  This however remains difficult to ascertain.  There are many instances where injuries may be considered only 5 percent or 10 percent impairment, but still have the practical impact of significantly hindering a worker’s ability to do the job.

Jackson added, “To some, injured workers are just a statistic. However, there’s no doubt that the people covered under this measure are the folks who are the most seriously injured. If nothing else, a business that employs a worker who gets permanently injured at their shop should, at the very least, make sure they have insurance to help them get by.”

Senator Jackson’s bill repeals the provisions enacted by the Republican-controlled legislature last session.

The Senate will take up the veto of LD 443, “An Act To Amend the Maine Workers’ Compensation Act of 1992 To Provide Benefits to Seriously Injured Workers,” tomorrow, Tuesday July 9.

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