HB3526 Summary

• Eliminates rebuttable presumptions for emergency personnel: Removes presumptions that certain conditions (bloodborne pathogens, lung/respiratory disease, heart/vascular disease, tuberculosis, cancer, hernia, hearing loss) in firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics arise from employment.

• Reduces compensation for specific body part injuries: For injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2018, compensation for loss of specific body parts (thumb, fingers, toes, hand, arm, leg, foot, eye, hearing, testicles) reverts to lower 2006-era benefit levels.

• Establishes 500-week compensation cap: Limits total workers' compensation for all injuries to 500 weeks maximum, with prior injury compensation counted toward this limit.

• Requires AMA guidelines for permanent partial disability determinations: Commission decisions must be based on the most current American Medical Association "Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment" rather than multiple factors.

• Changes fee schedule payment language: Modifies references from "maximum allowable payments" to "maximum amount billed" in medical fee schedule requirements.