102.44 (1) (b) If the employee is receiving a weekly benefit that is less than the maximum benefit that was in effect on the date of the injury, the supplemental benefit for a week of disability occurring after May 1, 2010
the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date], shall be an amount sufficient to bring the total weekly benefits to the same proportion of $582 $669 as the employee's weekly benefit bears to the maximum in effect on the date of injury.
180,65
Section
65. 102.44 (4m) of the statutes is created to read:
102.44 (4m) (a) The department shall promulgate rules establishing minimum permanent disability ratings for amputation levels, losses of motion, sensory losses, and surgical procedures resulting from injuries for which permanent partial disability is claimed under sub. (3) or (4). At least once every 8 years the department shall review and revise those minimum permanent disability ratings as necessary to reflect advances in the science of medicine. Before the department may revise those ratings, the department shall appoint a medical advisory committee under s. 227.13, composed of physicians practicing in one or more areas of specialization or treating disciplines within the medical profession, to review and recommend revision of those ratings, based on typical loss of function, to the department and the council on worker's compensation.
(b) In considering an individual for appointment to the medical advisory committee under par. (a), the department shall consider the individual's training and experience, the number of years the individual has been practicing in the individual's area of specialization or treating discipline, any certifications by a recognized medical speciality board or other agency held by the individual, any recommendations made by organizations that regulate or promote profession standards in the area of specialization or treating discipline in which the individual practices, and any other factors that the department determines are relevant to the individual's knowledge and ability to serve as a member of the medical advisory committee.
102.58 Decreased compensation. If injury is caused by the failure of the employee to use safety devices that are provided in accordance with any statute, rule, or order of the department of safety and professional services and that are adequately maintained, and the use of which is reasonably enforced by the employer, or if injury results from the employee's failure to obey any reasonable rule adopted and reasonably enforced by the employer for the safety of the employee and of which the employee has notice, or if injury results from the intoxication of the employee by alcohol beverages, as defined in s. 125.02 (1), or use of a controlled substance, as defined in s. 961.01 (4), or a controlled substance analog, as defined in s. 961.01 (4m), the compensation and death benefit provided in this chapter shall be reduced by 15 percent but the total reduction may not exceed $15,000. If an employee violates the employer's policy concerning employee drug or alcohol use and is injured, and if that violation is causal to the employee's injury, no compensation or death benefits shall be payable to the injured employee or a dependent of the injured employee. Nothing in this section shall reduce or eliminate an employer's liability for incidental compensation under s. 102.42 (1) to (8) or drug treatment under s. 102.425.
180,66m
Section 66m. 102.60 (7) of the statutes is amended to read:
102.60 (7) This section does not apply to an employee, as defined in s. 102.07 (6), a person selling or distributing newspapers or magazines on the street or from house to house if the agency or publisher for whom the person sells or distributes newspapers or magazines establishes by affirmative proof that at the time of the injury the employee person was not employed with the actual or constructive knowledge of the agency or publisher.
102.75 (1) The department shall assess upon and collect from each licensed worker's compensation insurance carrier and from each employer exempted under s. 102.28 (2) by special order or by rule, (b) or (bm) from the duty to carry insurance under s. 102.28 (2) (a) the proportion of total costs and expenses incurred by the council on worker's compensation for travel and research and by the department, the division, and the commission in the administration of this chapter for the current fiscal year, plus any deficiencies in collections and anticipated costs from the previous fiscal year, that the total indemnity paid or payable under this chapter by each such carrier and exempt employer in worker's compensation cases initially closed during the preceding calendar year, other than for increased, double, or treble compensation, bore to the total indemnity paid in cases closed the previous calendar year under this chapter by all carriers and exempt employers, other than for increased, double
, or treble compensation. The council on worker's compensation, the division, and the commission shall annually certify any costs and expenses for worker's compensation activities to the department at such time as the secretary requires.
102.75 (2) The department shall require each licensed worker's compensation insurance carrier and employer exempted under s. 102.28 (2) (b) or (bm) from the duty to insure under s. 102.28 (2) (a) to make the payments required under sub. (1) for each fiscal year on such dates as the department prescribes. The department shall also require each licensed worker's compensation insurance carrier to make the payments required under sub. (1g) for each fiscal year on those dates. Each such payment shall be a sum equal to a proportionate share of the annual costs and expenses assessed upon each carrier and employer as estimated by the department. Interest shall accrue on amounts not paid within 30 days after the date prescribed by the department under this subsection at the rate of 1 percent per month. All interest payments received under this subsection shall be deposited in the fund established under s. 102.65.
180,69
Section
69. 102.75 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
102.75 (4) From the appropriation under s. 20.445 (1) (ra), the department shall allocate the amounts that it collects in application fees from employers applying for exemption under s. 102.28 (2) (b) and the annual amount that it collects from employers that have been exempted under s. 102.28 (2) (b) to fund the activities of the department under s. 102.28 (2) (b) and (c) with respect to those employers.
180,70
Section
70. 102.81 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
102.81 (1) (a) If an employee of an uninsured employer, other than an employee who is eligible to receive alternative benefits under s. 102.28 (3), suffers an injury for which the uninsured employer is liable under s. 102.03, the department or the department's reinsurer shall pay to or on behalf of the injured employee or to the employee's dependents an amount equal to the compensation owed them by the uninsured employer under this chapter except penalties and interest due under ss. 102.16 (3), 102.18 (1) (b) 3. and (bp), 102.22 (1), 102.35 (3), 102.57, and 102.60.
180,71
Section
71. 108.10 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.10 (4) The department or the employing unit may commence action for the judicial review of a commission decision under this section, provided the department, or the employing unit, after exhausting the remedies provided under this section, has commenced such action within 30 days after such decision was mailed to the employing unit's last-known address. The scope of judicial review, and the manner thereof insofar as applicable, shall be the same as that provided in s. 108.09 (7). In an action commenced by an employing unit under this section, the department shall be an adverse party a defendant under s. 102.23 (1) (a) and shall be named as a party defendant in the summons and complaint commencing the action.
180,72
Section
72. 165.60 of the statutes is amended to read:
165.60 Law enforcement. The department of justice is authorized to enforce ss. 101.123 (2), (2m), and (8), 175.60 (17) (e), 944.30 (1m), 944.31, 944.33, 944.34, 945.02 (2), 945.03 (1m), and 945.04 (1m) and ch. 108 and, with respect to a false statement submitted or made under s. 175.60 (7) (b) or (15) (b) 2. or as described under s. 175.60 (17) (c), to enforce s. 946.32, is authorized to assist the department of workforce development in the investigation and prosecution of suspected fraudulent activity related to worker's compensation as provided in s. 102.125, and is invested with the powers conferred by law upon sheriffs and municipal police officers in the performance of those duties. This section does not deprive or relieve sheriffs, constables, and other local police officers of the power and duty to enforce those sections, and those officers shall likewise enforce those sections.
180,73
Section
73.
Nonstatutory provisions.
(1) Fraud investigation and prosecution; department of justice position authorization. The authorized FTE positions for the department of justice are increased by 1.0 PR-S position, to be funded from the appropriation under section 20.455 (2) (k) of the statutes, for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting fraudulent activity related to worker's compensation.
180,74
Section
74.
Fiscal changes.
(1) Replacement of uninsured employers fund computer system. In the schedule under section 20.005 (3) of the statutes for the appropriation to the department of workforce development under section 20.445 (1) (ra) of the statutes, as affected by the acts of 2015, the dollar amount for fiscal year 2015-16 is increased by $200,000, and the dollar amount for fiscal year 2016-17 is increased by $796,000, to replace the computer system used for the accounting of collections and other moneys received for the uninsured employers fund and of payments made from that fund.
180,75
Section
75
.
Initial applicability.
(1)
Judicial review of worker's compensation decisions. The treatment of sections 102.23 (1) (a), (c), and (cm) and 108.10 (4) of the statutes first applies to an action for the review of an order or award of the labor and industry review commission commenced in circuit court on the effective date of this subsection.
(2)
Administrative review of worker's compensation decisions. The treatment of section 102.18 (3) and (4) (b) of the statutes first applies to a petition for the review of a decision of a department of workforce development hearing examiner filed with the labor and industry review commission on the effective date of this subsection.
180,76
Section
76.
Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication, except as follows:
(1) Judicial review of worker's compensation decisions. The treatment of sections 102.23 (1) (a), (c), and (cm) and 108.10 (4) of the statutes and Section
75 (1
) of this act take effect on July 1, 2016.
(2) Administrative review of worker's compensation decisions. The treatment of section 102.18 (3) and (4) (b) of the statutes and Section 75 (2) of this act take effect on July 1, 2016.