Senate Bill 767 Summary

• Establishes a Workers' Compensation Fraud Investigation Unit within the Attorney General's office, funded by the Workers' Compensation Commission, with authority to investigate fraud and prosecute violations as felonies under Title 21, Section 1663 of Oklahoma Statutes.

• Modifies workers' compensation benefit provisions including temporary total disability (70% of average weekly wage up to 104 weeks), permanent partial disability (70% compensation not exceeding $323/week for up to 350 weeks), and permanent total disability (70% of wages until age of maximum Social Security retirement or 15 years, whichever is longer).

• Creates presumptions favoring vocational rehabilitation services for injured employees in specific occupations with certain medical conditions (truck drivers with traumatic brain injury, laborers with joint replacements, etc.) and extends rehabilitation benefits up to 52 weeks.

• Establishes two Guaranty Funds (insured and self-insured) administered by the Oklahoma Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association to ensure continuation of benefits when insurers become impaired, funded by quarterly assessments on insurers and self-insurers.

• Modifies benefit plan appeal procedures for qualified employers, establishing independent appeals committees, Commission review processes, and Oklahoma Supreme Court appellate jurisdiction; provides confidentiality protections for qualified employer application information with limited discovery exceptions.