AN ACT CONCERNING COMPENSATION PAID TO INJURED EMPLOYEES AND THE PARENTS OF A DECEASED EMPLOYEE UNDER THE W...
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HB 7141 — AN ACT CONCERNING COMPENSATION PAID TO INJURED EMPLOYEES AND THE PARENTS OF A DECEASED EMPLOYEE UNDER THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT.
Last action — FILE NO. 784
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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2In Committee
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3Passed House
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4Passed Senate
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
335 added · 72 removed335 line(s) added, 72 removed.
House of Representatives General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.
7141784 January Session, 2025 LCOSubstitute House Bill No.
58087141 ReferredHouse toof Representatives, April 28, 2025 The Committee on JUDICIARYJudiciary Introducedreported by:through REP.
(JUD)STAFSTROM ANof ACTthe CONCERNING129th COMPENSATIONDist., PAIDChairperson TOof INJUREDthe EMPLOYEESCommittee ANDon THEthe FAMILYpart MEMBERSof OFthe AHouse, DECEASEDthat EMPLOYEEthe UNDERsubstitute THEbill WORKERS'ought COMPENSATIONto ACT.pass.
AN ACT CONCERNING COMPENSATION PAID TO INJURED EMPLOYEES AND THE PARENTS OF A DECEASED EMPLOYEE UNDER THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT.
Subsection (b) of section 31-308 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective Julyfrom 1,passage): 2025):
(b) With respect to the following injuries, the compensation, in addition to the usual compensation for total incapacity but in lieu of all other payments for compensation, shall be seventy-five per cent of the average weekly earnings of the injured employee, calculated pursuant to section 31-310, after such earnings have been reduced by any deduction for federal or state taxes, or both, and for the federal Insurance Contributions Act made from such employee's total wages received during the period of calculation of the employee's average weekly wage pursuant to said section 31-310, but in no case more than one hundred per cent, raised to the next even dollar, of the average weeklysHB7141 earnings/ ofFile production and related workers in manufacturing in LCO No.
5808784 1 ofsHB7141 6File RaisedNo. Bill No.7141 the state, as determined in accordance with the provisions of section 31- 309, or lessthanfiftydollarsweekly.Allofthe following injuriesinclude the loss of the member or organ and the complete and permanent loss of use of the member or organ referred to:
T1784 MEMBERweekly INJURYearnings WEEKSof OFproduction T2and COMPENSATIONrelated T3workers Armin T4manufacturing Masterin armthe Lossstate, atas ordetermined abovein elbowaccordance 208with T5the Otherprovisions armof Losssection at31- or309, above elbow 194 T6 Hand T7 Master hand Loss at or abovelessthanfiftydollarsweekly.Allofthe wristfollowing 168injuriesinclude T8the Otherloss handof Lossthe atmember or aboveorgan wristand 155the T9complete One leg Loss at or above knee 155 T10 One foot Loss at or above ankle 125 T11 Hearing T12 Both ears 104 T13 One ear 35 T14 One eye T15 Complete and permanent T16 loss of sightuse in, or T17 reduction of sightthe tomember T18 one-tenth or lessorgan T19referred ofto: normal vision 157 T20 Thumb* T21 On master hand 63 T22 On other hand 54 T23 Fingers** T24 First finger 36 T25 Second finger 29 T26 Third finger 21 T27 Fourth finger 17 LCO No.
5808T1 2MEMBER ofINJURY 6WEEKS RaisedOF BillT2 No.7141COMPENSATION T28T3 Toes***Arm T29T4 GreatMaster toearm 28Loss T30at Otheror toesabove 9elbow T31208 BackT5 NumberOther ofarm weeksLoss T32at whichor theabove T33elbow proportion194 ofT6 T34Hand incapacityT7 T35Master representshand toLoss aat T36or maximumabove ofwrist 374168 T37T8 weeksOther T38hand HeartLoss 520at T39or Brainabove 520wrist T40155 CarotidT9 arteryOne 520leg T41Loss Pancreasat 416or T42above Liverknee 347155 T43T10 StomachOne 260foot T44 Loss ofat bladderor 233above T45ankle Speech125 163T11 T46Hearing LungT12 117Both T47ears Cervical104 spineT13 [117]One 208ear T4835 KidneyT14 117One T49eye RibT15 cageComplete Bilateraland 69permanent T50T16 Ovaryloss 35of T51sight Testisin, 35or T52T17 Mammaryreduction 35of T53sight Noseto SenseT18 andone-tenth respiratoryor 35less T54T19 functionof T55normal Jawvision Mastication157 35T20 T56Thumb* UterusT21 35-104On T57master Vaginahand 35-10463 T58T22 PenisOn 35-104other T59hand Coccyx54 ActualT23 removalFingers** 35T24 T60First Sensefinger of36 smellsHB7141 17/ T61File Sense of taste 17 LCO No.
5808784 32 ofsHB7141 6File RaisedNo. Bill No.7141 T62 Spleen In addition to scar 13 T63 Gall bladder 13 T64 Tooth Minimum 1 T65 Loss of drainage duct of eye T66 (If corrected by prosthesis) 17 for each T67 Loss of drainage duct of eye T68 (If uncorrected by prosthesis) 33 for each T69 Pelvis percentage of back *The loss or loss of use of one phalanx of a thumb shall be construed as seventy-five per cent of the loss of the thumb.
784 T25 Second finger 29 T26 Third finger 21 T27 Fourth finger 17 T28 Toes*** T29 Great toe 28 T30 Other toes 9 T31 Back Number of weeks T32 which the T33 proportion of T34 incapacity T35 represents to a T36 maximum of 374 T37 weeks T38 Heart 520 T39 Brain 520 T40 Carotid artery 520 T41 Pancreas 416 T42 Liver 347 T43 Stomach 260 T44 Loss of bladder 233 T45 Speech 163 T46 Lung 117 T47 Cervical spine 117 (until June 30, T48 2025) T49 Kidney 117 T50 Rib cage Bilateral 69 T51 Ovary 35 T52 Testis 35 T53 Mammary 35 sHB7141 / File No.
784 3 sHB7141 File No.
784 T54 Nose Sense and respiratory function 35 T55 Jaw Mastication 35 T56 Uterus 35-104 T57 Vagina 35-104 T58 Penis 35-104 T59 Coccyx Actual removal 35 T60 Sense of smell 17 T61 Sense of taste 17 T62 Spleen In addition to scar 13 T63 Gall bladder 13 T64 Tooth Minimum 1 T65 Loss of drainage duct of eye T66 (If corrected by prosthesis) 17 for each T67 Loss of drainage duct of eye T68 (If uncorrected by prosthesis) 33 for each T69 Pelvis percentage of back T70 On and after July 1, 2025:
T71 Intestinal tract 347 T72 Esophagus 180 T73 Trachea 117 T74 Larynx 117 T75 Diaphragm 117 T76 Cervical Spine 208 *The loss or loss of use of one phalanx of a thumb shall be construed as seventy-five per cent of the loss of the thumb.
***ThesHB7141 loss/ orFile lossNo. of use of one phalanx of a great toe shall be construed as sixty-six and two-thirds per cent of the loss of the great toe.
784 4 sHB7141 File No.
784 ***The loss or loss of use of one phalanx of a great toe shall be construed as sixty-six and two-thirds per cent of the loss of the great toe.
If[If] For any matter filed with the Workers' Compensation Commission on or after July 1, 1993, that remains open and pending before said commission on the effective date of this section, and for any matter filed with said commission on and after the effective date of this section, (1) if the injury consists of the loss of a substantial part of a member resulting in a permanent partial loss of the use of a member, or if the injury results in a permanent partial loss of function, the administrative law judge may,[may, in the administrative law judge's discretion,discretion] shall, in lieu of other compensation, award to the injured employee the proportion of the sum provided in this subsection for the total loss of, or the loss of the use of, the member or for incapacity or both that represents the proportion of total loss or loss of use found to exist, and any voluntary agreement submitted in which the basis of settlement is such proportionate payment may, if otherwise conformable to the provisions of this chapter, be approved by the administrative law judgejudge; in the administrative law judge's discretion.
Notwithstanding[in the administrative law judge's discretion.] and (2) notwithstanding the provisions LCOof No.this subsection, an injured employee who has reached maximum medical improvement and is eligible for benefits pursuant to this subsection, but whose injuries continue to result in total incapacity to work pursuant to section 31-307, shall continue to be eligible to receive total incapacity benefits pursuant to section 31-307 until such period of total incapacity ends.
5808Notwithstanding 4the ofprovisions 6 Raised Bill No.7141 of this subsection, the complete loss or loss of use of an organ which results in the death of an employee shall be compensable pursuant only to section 31-306.
Sec.2.Subdivision(6)ofsubsection(a)ofsection31-306ofthegeneral statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective Julyfrom 1,passage): 2025):
(6) In all cases where there are no presumptive dependents, but where there are (A) onesHB7141 or/ moreFile personsNo. wholly dependent in fact, the compensation in case of death shall be divided according to the relative degree of their dependence, or (B) next of kin of the deceased employee, the compensation shall be divided equally among the next of kin of the deceased employee.
Compensationpayableunder784 thissubdivisionshall5 besHB7141 paidFile forNo. not more than three hundred and twelve weeks from the date of the death of the employee.
784 where there are one or more persons wholly dependent in fact, the compensation in case of death shall be divided according to the relative degree of their dependence, or (B) where there are no persons wholly dependent in fact, the compensation shall be divided equally among the parents of the deceased employee.
Compensation payable under this subdivision shall be paid for not more than three hundred and twelve weeks from the date of the death of the employee.
The compensation, if paid to those partially dependent in fact upon the deceasedemployeeasofthedateoftheinjury,shallnot,intotal,bemoredeceased thanthefullcompensationrateemployee as of the date of the injury, shall not, in total, be more than the full compensation rate nor lessthantwentyless dollarsweekly,nor,than twenty dollars weekly, nor, if the average weekly sum contributed by the deceased at the date of the injury to those partially dependent in fact is more than twenty dollars weekly, not more thanthanthe the sum so contributed.
Sec.
3.
(Effective from passage) (a) There is established a working group to study rehabilitation services available to injured employees under chapter 568 of the general statutes.
Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, an examination of (1) whether the provisions of chapter 568 of the general statutes adequately fund rehabilitation services for all injured employees, and (2) methods to encourage injured employees to utilize such services, including providing stipends to injured employees who utilize such services.
(b) The working group shall consist of the following members:
(1) The chairpersons and the ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary, or their designees;
(2) The Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services, or the commissioner's designee;
(3) The chairperson of the Workers' Compensation Commission, or the chairperson's designee;
and sHB7141 / File No.
784 6 sHB7141 File No.
784 (4)The following personsjointly appointedbythechairpersonsofthe joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary:
(A) An attorney who has expertise in representing claimants appearing before the Workers' Compensation Commission;
(B) An attorney who has expertise in representing respondents appearing before the Workers' Compensation Commission;
Show all 147 changed lines (107 more)
(C) A representative of an association representing attorneys in the state;
(D) A representative of an association representing trial attorneys in the state;
(E) A representative of an association representing workers' compensation insurers in the state;
(F) A representative of an association representing business and industry in the state;
and (G) A representative of a labor organization.
(c) All initial appointments to the working group shall be made not later than thirty days after the effective date of this section.
Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.
(d) The chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance ofmattersrelating to thejudiciary,or their designees, shall serve as the chairpersons of the working group.
Such chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the working group, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.
The working group shall meet not less than once per month and at such other times as may be necessary upon the call of the chairpersons.
(e) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the GeneralAssembly having cognizance ofmattersrelating to thejudiciary sHB7141 / File No.
784 7 sHB7141 File No.
784 shall serve as administrative staff of the working group.
(f) Not later than February 1, 2026, the working group shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary, in accordance with the provisions of section 11- 4a ofthegeneralstatutes.The working groupshallterminate onthedate that it submits such report or February 1, 2026, whichever is later.
Section 1 Julyfrom 1,passage 2025 31-308(b) Sec.
2 Julyfrom 1,passage 2025 31-306(a)(6) StatementSec. of Purpose:
To:3 from passage New section JUD Joint Favorable Subst.
(1)sHB7141 Provide/ supplementalFile paymentsNo. and benefits to individuals with partial permanent disabilities, and (2) permit compensation awards to be distributed to the next of kin of a deceased employee who was unmarried and without dependent children at the time of the employee's death.
LCO784 8 sHB7141 File No.
5808784 5The offollowing 6Fiscal RaisedImpact Statement and Bill No.Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.
7141In [Proposedgeneral, deletionsfiscal impacts are enclosedbased inupon brackets.a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.
ProposedWhenever additionsapplicable, areagency indicateddata byis underline,consulted exceptas thatpart whenof the entireanalysis, texthowever offinal aproducts billdo ornot resolutionnecessarily orreflect aan sectionassessment offrom aany billspecific ordepartment. resolution is new, it is not underlined.] LCO No.
5808OFA 6Fiscal ofNote 6State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $ Department of Administrative App Fund - Cost 2,140,000 2,000,000 Services - Workers' Comp.
Claims Department of Administrative App Fund - See Below See Below Services - Workers' Comp.
Potential Cost Claims Note:
App Fund=All Appropriated Funds Municipal Impact:
Municipalities Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $ Various Municipalities Potential See Below See Below Cost Explanation Section 1, which expands the list of injuries eligible for permanent, partial disability (PPD) and increases the benefits for a cervical spine injury, results in a cost to the Department of Administrative Services – Worker’s Compensation Claims and various self-insured municipalities beginning in FY 26 to the extent additional workers’ compensation benefits are provided.
The cost to the state is approximately $2 million per year beginning in FY 26 and may vary significantly from year-to- year dependent upon the number of injuries that occur.
The expanded list of injuries covered includes injuries to the intestinal tract (347 weeks),esophagus(180 weeks),trachea(117weeks),larynx (117weeks), and diaphragm (117 weeks).
Section 2 results in a potential cost to the Department of sHB7141 / File No.
784 9 sHB7141 File No.
784 Administrative Services – Worker’s Compensation Claims and various self-insured municipalities beginning in FY 26 to the extent additional workers’ compensation benefits are provided to parents in the event an employee dies with no presumptive dependents (e.g., spouse or minor children).
There is a specific relevant claim which is impacted by this bill that may result in a total estimated cost of $140,000 over six years beginning in FY 26.
The workers’ compensation benefit of this claim has yet to be determined and may vary significantly from this estimate.
The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.
sHB7141 / File No.
784 10 sHB7141 File No.
784 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 7141 AN ACT CONCERNING COMPENSATION PAID TO INJURED EMPLOYEES AND THE PARENTS OF A DECEASED EMPLOYEE UNDER THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT.
SUMMARY This bill makes various changes to workers’ compensation benefits and related services.
It removes an administrative law judge’s (ALJ) discretion to award temporary partial incapacity benefits instead of permanent, partial disability (PPD) benefits once an injured employee reaches maximum medical improvement (see BACKGROUND).
Generally, temporary partial incapacity benefits are 75% of the difference between the employee’s net (after tax and Social Security deductions) regular wage and what he or she earns by working at a reduced capacity, but they may be up to 75% of the employee’s net regular wage if the employee cannot find suitable employment.
PPD benefits vary, and are for the permanent, partial reduction in function or loss of a body part (see BACKGROUND).
The bill increases the duration of PPD benefits for a cervical spine injury that an injured worker may receive from 117 to 208 weeks as of July 1, 2025.
Starting on that date, the bill also expands the list of injuries eligible for PPD benefits to include the:
1.
intestinal tract (347 weeks), 2.
esophagus (180 weeks), 3.
trachea (117 weeks), 4.
larynx (117 weeks), and sHB7141 / File No.
784 11 sHB7141 File No.
784 5.
diaphragm (117 weeks).
The bill also allows a deceased employee’s parents , whenthere are no dependents for distribution of workers’ compensation benefits, to each receive an equal portion of the benefits.
Lastly, the bill establishes a working group to study rehabilitation services available to injured employees under the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Upon passage ELIGIBILITY FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF BENEFITS The bill requires an ALJ to award PPD benefits to an injured employee who is eligible for them.
It removes the ALJ’s discretion to instead award temporary partial incapacity benefits.
Under existing law, the right to PPD benefits begins after the employee reaches maximum medical improvement for the injury (CGS § 31-295(c)).
Under the bill, if these employees reach maximum medical improvement but their injuries continue to result in total incapacity to work, they remain eligible to receive total incapacity benefits until the period of total incapacity ends.
These provisions apply to any matter (1) filed with the Workers’ Compensation Commission on or after July 1, 1993, that is open and pending before the commission when the bill passes or (2) filed with the commission on or after the bill passes.
COMPENSATION UPON AN EMPLOYEE’S DEATH Under existing law, when employees with no presumptive dependents (such as a spouse or minor children) die due to a work- related accident, anyone who was wholly dependent in fact upon them may receive their workers’ compensation benefits.
In cases where there are no such dependents, the bill allows for these benefits to be divided equally among the deceased employee’s parents.
Under existing law, and unchanged by the bill, these benefits may be sHB7141 / File No.
784 12 sHB7141 File No.
784 paid for up to 312 weeks from the employee’s death.
Survivors who were wholly dependent in fact must be paid the full benefit rate, and benefits for those partially dependent in fact must be at least $20 per week, but no more than the (1) full benefit rate or (2) average weekly amount that the deceased contributed to their support.
(The bill does not specify the benefit rate for parents.) WORKING GROUP The bill establishes a working group to study rehabilitation services available to injured employees under the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act.
Under the bill, the working group must at least examine:
1.
whether the act’s provisions adequately fund rehabilitation services for all injured employees and 2.
ways to encourage injured employees to use these services (including providing stipends to injured employees who use the services).
Members The bill requires the working group to include the following members, or their designees:
1.
the Judiciary Committee chairpersons and ranking members, 2.
the Aging and Disability Services commissioner, and 3.
the Workers’ Compensation Commission chairperson.
The group also includes the following seven members, jointly appointed by the Judiciary Committee chairpersons:
1.
an attorney with expertise in representing claimants appearing before the Workers’ Compensation Commission, 2.
an attorney with expertise in representing respondents appearing before the commission, sHB7141 / File No.
784 13 sHB7141 File No.
784 3.
a representative of an association representing attorneys in the state, 4.
a representative of an association representing trial attorneys in the state, 5.
a representative of an association representing workers’ compensation insurers in the state, 6.
a representative of an association representing business and industry in the state, and 7.
a representative of a labor organization.
Under the bill, all initial appointments must be made within 30 days after the bill passes.
Any vacancies must be filled by the appointing authority.
Leadership and Meetings The bill makes the Judiciary Committee chairpersons, or their designees, the working group’s chairpersons.
Under the bill, they must schedule and hold the group’s first meeting within 60 days after the bill passes.
The working group must meet at least once per month and at other times as the chairpersons deem necessary.
The bill requires the Judiciary Committee’s administrative staff to serve in this capacity for the working group.
Reporting Requirement Under the bill, the working group must report on its findings and recommendations to the Judiciary Committee by February 1, 2026.
The working group must end when it submits its report or on February 1, 2026, whichever is later.
BACKGROUND Permanent, Partial Disability Benefits By law, PPD benefits are for the permanent, partial reduction in function or loss of a body part.
The worker receives PPD benefits based sHB7141 / File No.
784 14 sHB7141 File No.
784 on the disability rating (a physician’s determination of the percentage of the body part that is disabled), the weeks of compensation provided for that body part specified in the law, and the employee’s basic compensation rate.
By law, the weeks of compensation range from one (tooth) to 520 (heart, brain, or carotid artery) depending on the body part.
Related Case In March 2025, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in Gardner v.
Dept.
of Mental Health & Addiction Services that Connecticut law gives an ALJ discretion to award a workers’ compensation claimant, after they reach maximum medical improvement, ongoing temporary partial incapacity benefits (up to the statutory maximum of 520 weeks) rather than PPD benefits.
Related Bill HB 6408 (File 302), favorably reported by the Labor and Public Employees Committee, allows surviving family members of an employee to receive compensation for a work-related death when the employee does not have dependents.
COMMITTEE ACTION Judiciary Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 39 Nay 0 (04/10/2025) sHB7141 / File No.
784 15
Show all 147 changed rows (107 more)
View plain text versions (3)
- File No. 784 View text pdf
- Raised Bill View text Current pdf
- Substitute JUD Joint Favorable Substitute pdf
Action History
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FILE NO. 784
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HOUSE CALENDAR NUMBER 489
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FAV. RPT., TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR
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RPTD. OUT OF LCO
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REFERRED TO Office of Legislative Research AND Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/28/25
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FILED WITH LCO
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Joint Favorable Substitute
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PUBLIC HEARING 0310
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REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Judiciary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →0 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 187 not signed on
Sponsors (0)
None.
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (187)
187 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 187 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
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