[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6297475,"mediaKeyId","2509916-1d7a29ca6214eca5bcf419db26a54ed6","parentId",2509916,"title","Bureau of Workers' Compensation pushes modest budget, seeks statutory fixes on prosthetics and program consolidation","audioSeconds",2622,"startMs",837305,"endMs",3459809,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2509916-1d7a29ca6214eca5bcf419db26a54ed6&start=837&end=3459","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2509916-1d7a29ca6214eca5bcf419db26a54ed6/thumbnail_837305.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6297475/Ohio/Bureau-of-Workers-Compensation-pushes-modest-budget-seeks-statutory-fixes-on-prosthetics-and-program-consolidation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297475-aa344a90aa88eb5934d7c1ca5d4d0590/orig.mp4?Expires=1775173823&Signature=SwlnhI9B1tLpdkRAslobL8AhCxnERJ78DJWFEnfmeg8kP~FTCS08ER9KeLV25h92ucrFjqRz1UxRy1yBtHqwLI5wJG8GWdbwWRB1N5Tfc~8bDLt3htrVgMU5yoXqyI2mO545ouMlxeJ03H1xBbBu2Abg3ET7HpBxJl6lYkz5Za62XhJE1Cvz2gLDLyiDrIbEBrsNC1q7Ubb02q-6OSf~Icz4L1FLd05qbdXVineqHIck1hKYsqBJlYY~CfeBcFSlPHb~EOS68OqnN6f2c6W0NBx5JLpUZAG6wi4tIsmWuVfTX4Ckgm5VkZTTaJ~Jf9gCLyO1AbyI6MQK6Cv8PdrWEg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ohio Legislature","date","2025-02-26T00:00:00Z","article","The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation told the House Public Insurance and Pensions Committee its 2026–27 budget request would continue a focus on workplace safety, rate stability and customer service while seeking statute changes to clarify benefits and program authorities. \"BWC is not funded from the General Revenue Fund. We are, for all essential purposes, an insurance company,\" Stephanie McLeod, director of the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, said at the bill's first hearing.

McLeod said BWC serves roughly 258,000 public and private employers with approximately 1,600 employees and reported assets of about $23.1 billion. The bureau described a budget that is modestly lower than the prior biennium overall and said it will continue investments in data analytics, robotic process automation and public health‑oriented grants. McLeod highlighted the Better You, Better Ohio (BYBO) wellness program and a firefighter cancer‑screening pilot, and listed grants to fire departments for extractor dryers, diesel exhaust control systems and turnout gear.

On policy changes, McLeod described proposed statutory language to allow BWC to pay for replacement or repair of prosthetic devices tied to workplace injuries after a claim has closed under the existing five‑year no‑payment rule. \"Our proposed language provides explicit authority to pay for these prosthesis in the future,\" McLeod said. She also outlined proposals to clarify board duties, streamline subrogation claims with Medicare and Medicaid, simplify coverage for the Federal Prison Industries Enhancement Certification Program (FPIEP/PICEP), and remove an outdated statutory requirement to administer a safety museum.

Committee members questioned coverage for psychological injuries such as PTSD for first responders, the rising payments to managed care organizations (MCOs), and changes to board oversight requirements. McLeod said BWC already administers PTSD claims when accompanied by an accepted physical injury but noted that expanding coverage to mental‑only claims would be a policy decision for the General Assembly. On managed‑care spending, she described MCO work that goes beyond bill review — including medical management, return‑to‑work planning and dispute resolution — and said contracts and operational requirements have evolved since the program's earlier years.

McLeod said some eliminations in the proposed budget are intended to remove duplication rather than reduce compliance with federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. The hearing included multiple requests from members for additional data; McLeod said BWC is continuing to invest in analytics to better explain long‑term trends such as falling claim counts.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ohio House Public Insurance and Pensions Committee - 2-26-2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Bureau of Workers' Compensation presented its 2026–27 budget and described proposals to authorize replacement prosthetic devices after closed claims, clarify board and program authorities, and continue investments in safety and data analytics.","taxTitle","Pension, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Ohio","taxId",31015,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6297480,"Ohio Industrial Commission seeks funding to modernize hearings, address looming retirements",391,108035,499482,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2509916-1d7a29ca6214eca5bcf419db26a54ed6&start=108&end=499","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2509916-1d7a29ca6214eca5bcf419db26a54ed6/thumbnail_108035.jpg","/articles/6297480/Ohio/Ohio-Industrial-Commission-seeks-funding-to-modernize-hearings-address-looming-retirements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297480-3dd0dde2204d5306cccb2cc9d1a5f761/orig.mp4?Expires=1775173823&Signature=GFwM0qxb1HCMpMwWIcUl~Zw8k21lE8YJLcB53~UwExQ9IRD6fvJAYtA3nMeb-MQUU7ajsRbcaEjedEDYYXl3toAMHlRdADiKefl6BsbWGLsKUCtwMWEHCn9TlwGSPbkO~rrDC0pqp-4RAzsM51tgVlWRtWoQ4x0zzZsLZg8XbE9NcEtBETfhmBJ8POryqtzCzCWTSZTjn-JDYk8a6t9zx9HuDIAzkP0ig6nIQdANdx6tvPbVHDQtArT4eVYWCfrPiwa~6P30MOVRs0T-2acXaJCwaX2fRjHTNz~pemgk6vNM4wJ6SE6FY40uZ~mtrVS5JJO03ZDyvVzHhHTb9XU-ow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ohio Industrial Commission urged the House Public Insurance and Pensions Committee to approve its 2026–27 budget request, saying the funds would support payroll, IT modernization and expanded remote hearing options. \"The OIC is responsible for providing a forum for fair and impartial resolutions of disputed workers' compensation claims,\" Jim Hughes, chairman and chief executive officer of the Ohio Industrial Commission, told the committee during the bill's first hearing.

Hughes said the commission plans to research and expand remote hearings and continue investing in an electronic hearing process to improve user experience and reduce travel time and expense for claimants and stakeholders. He warned the Commission faces two principal challenges: updating aging legacy applications that support hearings and managing a near-term retirement wave among experienced staff. \"By January 2026, nearly 40% of the OIC's current workforce will be eligible for retirement,\" Hughes said.

The request includes funding for payroll to fill posted positions and ongoing hiring to prepare for anticipated retirements; Hughes said payroll accounts for the agency's largest expenditure and cited a payroll share of 77.3 percent of agency expenses. He described other line items presented in the request, including rent for space in the William Green Building and payments to the Attorney General's office for legal services shared with the Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Committee members asked whether a smaller overall budget request would still allow the OIC to implement a robust video-hearing program. Hughes said the agency is using a mix of cost-saving measures—reducing offsite rents, extending life of office furniture and delaying some hires—to free funds for modernization while maintaining customer service. He also said the OIC's rules advisory committee has begun stakeholder meetings and will continue work on hearing rules.

The testimony was informational; no committee action or vote was recorded in the transcript. Hughes concluded by offering to return with updates and to answer follow-up questions from committee members.","The Ohio Industrial Commission presented House Bill 80 as its biennial budget request, asking for funding to support payroll, update legacy IT systems and expand remote hearings while preparing for an anticipated wave of retirements.","actionData","errors"]

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Bureau of Workers' Compensation pushes modest budget, seeks statutory fixes on prosthetics and program consolidation

Ohio Industrial Commission seeks funding to modernize hearings, address looming retirements