With only six weeks left in Colorado’s legislative session, one would think things would be starting to crystallize. But not in the wild, wild world of employment/human resources law. Because in this wild, wild world, things happen in the blink of an eye.
Here are just a few things making news at the Capitol in Denver:
Workers’ Compensation Benefits Proof of Entitlement (HB25-1300):
In 2014, the Colorado General Assembly passed a bill that increased the number of provider options that employers are required to offer injured workers from two to four. Now, the Colorado House of Representatives has proposed a bill that would give workers much more discretion in selecting their physician.
For example, HB25-1300 permits workers to choose from a full list (i.e., not just four) of providers located within 70 miles of the worker. The bill also expands the 90-day window to change doctors to an unlimited amount of time before the patient achieves maximum medical improvement that typically requires a return to work if there is not a permanent disability. And it would allow the worker to choose a provider within a 100-mile radius if there are three or fewer accredited workers-compensation doctors within a 70-mile radius.
Enforcement Wage Hour Laws (HB25-1001):
The Colorado House of Representatives also propounded a bill that would modify the Colorado Wage Act, which covers most state wage issues. This bill would greatly amend Colorado’s Wage Act by providing increased penalties...
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