WI SB676

Summary of Wisconsin Senate Bill 676

• Increases maximum weekly compensation for permanent partial disability from $446 to $454 for injuries before January 1, 2027, and to $462 for injuries on or after that date

• Extends supplemental benefits for permanent total disability to injuries occurring before January 1, 2020 (previously limited to pre-2003 injuries), with benefits indexed annually to correspond with 2020 benefit levels and adjusted each January 1

• Expands PTSD coverage for worker's compensation claims to include emergency medical responders, emergency medical services practitioners, and volunteer firefighters under the same standards as law enforcement officers and full-time firefighters

• Increases penalties for uninsured employers with escalating fines: 1st violation $1,000 or premium amount; 2nd violation $2,000 or 2x premium; 3rd violation $3,000 or 3x premium; 4th+ violation $4,000 or 4x premium

• Transfers worker's compensation hearing authority from the Division of Hearings and Appeals (Department of Administration) to the Department of Workforce Development effective January 1, 2026, and increases DWD appropriations by $834,700 in FY 2025-26 and $941,800 in FY 2026-27