CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

 

                        HOUSE BILL 1261

 

 

                   Chapter 395, Laws of 1999

 

 

                        56th Legislature

                      1999 Regular Session

 

 

INJURED WORKERS--MODIFICATIONS TO MOTOR VEHICLES

 

 

 

                    EFFECTIVE DATE:  7/25/99

Passed by the House April 19, 1999

  Yeas 97   Nays 0

 

 

             CLYDE BALLARD

Speaker of the House of Representatives

     

 

 

              FRANK CHOPP

Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

 

 

Passed by the Senate April 7, 1999

  Yeas 46   Nays 0

             CERTIFICATE

 

We, Dean R. Foster and Timothy A. Martin, Co-Chief Clerks of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is HOUSE BILL 1261  as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

 

 

 

           DEAN R. FOSTER

                          Chief Clerk

 

 

          TIMOTHY A. MARTIN

                          Chief Clerk

               BRAD OWEN

President of the Senate

 

 

 

Approved May 18, 1999 Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.           

                                FILED                

 

             May 18, 1999 - 3:27 p.m.

 

              GARY LOCKE

Governor of the State of Washington

                 Secretary of State

                 State of Washington


          _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 1261

          _______________________________________________

 

                     AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

 

             Passed Legislature - 1999 Regular Session

 

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Romero, Conway, Veloria, Cooper, O'Brien and Kenney

 

Read first time 01/20/1999.  Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

Modifying motor vehicles of injured workers.   


    AN ACT Relating to modifications of motor vehicles of injured workers; and amending RCW 51.36.020.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 51.36.020 and 1982 c 63 s 12 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) When the injury to any worker is so serious as to require his or her being taken from the place of injury to a place of treatment, his or her employer shall, at the expense of the medical aid fund, or self-insurer, as the case may be, furnish transportation to the nearest place of proper treatment.

    (2) Every worker whose injury results in the loss of one or more limbs or eyes shall be provided with proper artificial substitutes and every worker, who suffers an injury to an eye producing an error of refraction, shall be once provided proper and properly equipped lenses to correct such error of refraction and his or her disability rating shall be based upon the loss of sight before correction.

    (3) Every worker whose accident results in damage to or destruction of an artificial limb, eye, or tooth, shall have same repaired or replaced.

    (4) Every worker whose hearing aid or eyeglasses or lenses are damaged, destroyed, or lost as a result of an industrial accident shall have the same restored or replaced.  The department or self-insurer shall be liable only for the cost of restoring damaged hearing aids or eyeglasses to their condition at the time of the accident.

    (5) All mechanical appliances necessary in the treatment of an injured worker, such as braces, belts, casts, and crutches, shall be provided and all mechanical appliances required as permanent equipment after treatment has been completed shall continue to be provided or replaced without regard to the date of injury or date treatment was completed, notwithstanding any other provision of law.

    (6) A worker, whose injury is of such short duration as to bring him or her within the time limit provisions of RCW 51.32.090, shall nevertheless receive during the omitted period medical, surgical, and hospital care and service and transportation under the provisions of this chapter.

    (7) Whenever in the sole discretion of the supervisor it is reasonable and necessary to provide residence modifications necessary to meet the needs and requirements of the worker who has sustained catastrophic injury, the department or self-insurer may be ordered to pay an amount not to exceed the state's average annual wage for one year as determined under RCW 50.04.355, as now existing or hereafter amended, toward the cost of such modifications or construction.  Such payment shall only be made for the construction or modification of a residence in which the injured worker resides.  Only one residence of any worker may be modified or constructed under this subsection, although the supervisor may order more than one payment for any one home, up to the maximum amount permitted by this section.

    (8)(a) Whenever in the sole discretion of the supervisor it is reasonable and necessary to modify a motor vehicle owned by a worker who has become an amputee or becomes paralyzed because of an industrial injury, the supervisor may order up to fifty percent of the state's average annual wage for one year, as determined under RCW 50.04.355, ((as now existing or hereafter amended,)) to be paid by the department or self-insurer toward the costs thereof.

    (b) In the sole discretion of the supervisor after his or her review, the amount paid under this subsection may be increased by no more than four thousand dollars by written order of the supervisor.

    (9) The benefits provided by subsections (7) and (8) of this section are available to any otherwise eligible worker regardless of the date of industrial injury.


    Passed the House April 19, 1999.

    Passed the Senate April 7, 1999.

Approved by the Governor May 18, 1999.

    Filed in Office of Secretary of State May 18, 1999.