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Missouri committee hears split testimony on House Bill 497 to change workers’ compensation rules
Summary
Supporters say House Bill 497 would curb duplicate medical payments and let judges dismiss plainly deficient claims; opponents say the bill risks denying injured workers treatment, cuts attorney access and could leave death claims unpaid.
Rep. Chris, sponsor of House Bill 497, told the Missouri House Committee on Insurance the bill aims to reform the state’s workers’ compensation system to “bring clarity and fairness to the process for both employees and employers.”
The bill would, in Rep. Chris’s description, clarify what counts as a compensable work accident versus a preexisting condition; adjust how insurance savings are considered when awarding compensation; create an early motion-to-dismiss pathway for claims that are “fundamentally deficient”; and allow appeals of temporary awards to remove a penalty that can require employers to pay doubled damages for certain temporary decisions.
Supporters, including attorneys and industry groups, told the committee the bill would curb what they called misuse of the system and reduce long, expensive litigation. Matt Murphy, an attorney from Columbia testifying for the Auto Dealers Association, said House Bill 497 would restore what he called “the bargain” of workers’…
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