The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved the Federal Workers’ Compensation Modernization and Improvement Act, legislation that will strengthen and enhance the workers’ compensation program for federal employees.
“Reform of the federal workers’ compensation program is long overdue. “I am grateful for the time and effort my colleagues on both sides of the aisle invested in advancing this responsible legislation. I hope this represents not only a first step toward modernizing the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act, but also a renewed effort to work together in pursuit of meaningful solutions that better serve both workers and taxpayers,” House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) said of H.R. 2465.
Kline introduced the Federal Workers’ Compensation Modernization and Improvement Act in July with support from Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA), Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI), and Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Ranking Member Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
“The federal workers’ compensation program has not been significantly updated in almost 40 years,” Walberg said in a news release. “As is too often the case with government programs left unchecked, waste and inefficiencies have crept into the system, leading to poor use of taxpayer resources and diminished support for those the program is intended to serve. This legislation will help ensure federal employees have access to a program that reflects the realities of today’s economy and the best practices in medical care.”
The program established in 1916 by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act and operated by the Department of Labor, is no longer effectively serving the needs of beneficiaries or taxpayers. The recently passed Act will enhance program efficiency, improve program integrity, and modernize benefits for today’s economy, the news release states.
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