Senate Bill 863

Senate Bill 863 was passed on Aug. 31, 2012 and was signed into law by Governor Brown on Sept. 18, 2012.  The bill makes wide-ranging changes to California’s workers’ compensation system, including increased benefits to injured workers and cost-saving efficiencies. The bill takes effect on Jan. 1, 2013, although not all of its provisions will be effective immediately.

The Division of Workers’ Compensation offers the following tools to assist you in analyzing SB 863:

• Read the text of Senate Bill 863
• Overview of Senate Bill 863
• Rulemaking timeline
• Index by Labor Code section

Independent bill review (IBR)

• Independent Bill Review (IBR)
• Frequently asked questions about independent bill review

Independent medical review (IMR)

• Independent Medical Review (IMR)
• Frequently asked questions about independent medical review

Lien filing and activation fees

• Lien filing and activation fees
• Frequently asked questions about lien filing and activation fees

More FAQs

• Frequently asked questions about SB 863
• Frequently asked questions about interpreter certification

The Department of Industrial Relations’ (DIR) Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) held working groups on Oct. 2 to discuss regulation proposals. The initial working group meetings addressed regulations that need to be adopted first in order to comply with the deadlines prescribed by the bill.

The materials from the working group meetings include the following:

• Home health care fee schedule - comments
• Independent bill review - comments
• Independent medical review - comments
• Lien Filing and activation fee - comments
• Medical provider networks - comments
• Predesignation and cap on chiropractors as primary treating physicians - comments
• Supplemental job displacement benefit vouchers - comments

What's new

February 2013