Bill would reduce weekly benefits, change recurrence formula

The Rhode Island Senate unanimously passed legislation that creates a new formula for determining injured workers’ disability weekly benefit entitlement and eliminates ambiguity in entitlement for recurrence of a work-related disability.

S.B. 937 would change the language of state workers compensation law to allow an injured worker who has returned to work for 26 weeks or more and suffers a recurrence of the injury to receive an average weekly wage using the same formula to calculate the figure as was used in the 13 weeks prior to the recurrence. Currently, the wage is determined by dividing gross wages earned by the number of calendar weeks during which the worker was employed. If signed into law, that section of the legislation would take effect immediately.

The bill also reduces weekly compensation for injuries that occur on or after Jan. 1, 2022, to 62% of average weekly base wages or salary from the current figure of 75%.

If signed into law, this portion of the bill would take effect Jan. 1, 2022.