Senate Bill No. 162, introduced by Senator Seabaugh, amends the workers' compensation medical treatment schedule under R.S. 23:1203.1(K). The bill establishes a clearer process for appealing decisions made by the medical director or associate medical director regarding medical treatment disputes. It requires that any party filing an appeal must notify the director within ten days, after which the director must compile and forward the entire record used in the original decision to the district hearing office within fifteen days. The record will be available to the parties upon request, and the workers' compensation judge will base their decision on the existing record unless new evidence is introduced, in which case the case will be remanded to the medical director for further consideration.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that if the medical director does not render a new decision within thirty days of the remand, the judge will make a decision based on the entire record. This amendment aims to streamline the appeals process and ensure timely resolutions in workers' compensation cases. The proposed changes will take effect on August 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
SB162 Original: 23:1(K)
SB162 Engrossed: 23:1(K)