Regulatory News

Summary: Rules are being amended which govern the process for resolution of disputes between workers’ compensation carriers and health care providers. Revised forms are adopted. Rule 69L-31.005, F.A.C., is amended to provide greater detail regarding materials required to be included in a petition for dispute resolution. Rule 69L-31.008, F.A.C., is revised to provide clarity regarding computation of the time period to submit a petition for dispute resolution. The time period in Rule 69L-31.009, F.A.C., for a carrier to respond to a petition is expanded from 10 to 30 days. New Rule 69L-31.016, F.A.C., is proposed to limit the scope of the dispute resolutions to compliance with standards under Chapter 440, F.S., and exclude issues of contract interpretation. Changes are also made to provide several minor edits, primarily for the purpose of clarity. A copy of the notice and link to the proposed Rules may be found through the following link.  https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/View_notice....

December 8, 2105 The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has determined the statewide average weekly wage paid by employers subject to the Florida Reemployment Assistance Program Law to be $862.51 for the four calendar quarters ending June 30, 2015. Section 440.12(2), Florida Statutes (2015), expressly provides that, for injuries occurring on or after August 1, 1979, the weekly compensation rate shall be equal to 100 percent of the statewide average weekly wage, adjusted to the nearest dollar, and that the average weekly wage determined by the Department of Economic Opportunity for the four calendar quarters ending each June 30 shall be used in determining the maximum weekly compensation rate with respect to injuries occurring in the calendar year immediately following. Accordingly, the maximum weekly compensation rate for work-related injuries and illnesses occurring on or after January 1, 2016 shall be $863.00.