At the July 20, 2010 Board of Directors Meeting, the Board of Directors approved:

• the addition of policy item #115.33, Claims Relating to Subsequent Non-Compensable Incidents, to Chapter 17 of the Rehabilitation Services & Claims Manual, Volume II (“RS&CM”);
• changes to policy item #34.55, Subsequent Non-Compensable Incidents, of the RS&CM; and
• consequential amendments to policy item #115.30, Experience Rating Cost Exclusions, of the RS&CM.

Under the new policy item #115.33, employers would receive cost relief where a worker continues to receive temporary wage-loss benefits when a subsequent non-compensable incident delays the worker’s recovery from a compensable disability.  The claims costs associated with the delay in recovery beyond the estimated date for terminating temporary wage-loss benefits would be excluded for experience rating purposes and spread across all rate groups.

The changes apply to all decisions made on or after August 1, 2010.