This bill aims to modernize West Virginia's workers' compensation statutes by amending various sections of the Code of West Virginia, particularly Articles 4 and 5. It removes outdated provisions and standardizes references to public offices, while also updating statutory citations. A significant change includes modifying the Board of Review's membership from five to a range of three to five members. The bill requires employees to report injuries directly to their employers and mandates that employers report these injuries to their insurance carriers. It also introduces changes to the payment processes for temporary total disability benefits, ensuring prompt payments to claimants and allowing for the recovery of overpayments.

Additionally, the bill clarifies the roles of employers, private carriers, and self-insured employers regarding managed health care plans for injured employees, and it establishes new criteria for calculating disability benefits. It introduces provisions for the Occupational Pneumoconiosis Board, which will now be appointed by the Insurance Commissioner, and outlines the process for evaluating claims related to permanent total disability. The bill emphasizes the need for timely reporting and monitoring of claims, while also ensuring that claimants receive fair treatment and benefits. Overall, the amendments aim to streamline the workers' compensation process, enhance efficiency, and provide better support for injured workers.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 23-4-1a, 23-4-1b, 23-4-1c, 23-4-1d, 23-4-1e, 23-4-3, 23-4-4, 23-4-5, 23-4-6, 23-4-6a, 23-4-6d, 23-4-7, 23-4-7a, 23-4-8a, 23-4-8b, 23-4-8c, 23-4-9, 23-4-11, 23-4-12, 23-4-14, 23-4-15, 23-4-15a, 23-4-15b, 23-4-16, 23-4-16a, 23-4-17, 23-4-18, 23-4-20, 23-4-23, 23-4-24, 23-4-25, 23-5-2, 23-5-4, 23-5-7, 23-5-11a, 23-5-14, 23-4-3b, 23-4-3c, 23-4-22, 23-5-1, 23-5-3, 23-5-5, 23-5-6, 23-5-8, 23-5-9, 23-5-10, 23-5-11, 23-5-12, 23-5-13, 23-5-16