The Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill that aims to provide greater assistance to the families of Alaska’s workers permanently injured or killed on the job. Rep. Andy Josephson’s House Bill 30 modernizes compensation levels that have been stagnant for over 20 years and lengthens payment of benefits for children orphaned by a worksite accident.
Rep. Andy Josephson (Anchorage) said:
“House Bill 30, the first thing it does, and most important thing it does, is it updates permanent partial impairment rates for the whole body to reflect inflation. These haven’t been addressed in 22 years. Second, it updates a death benefit for non-nuclear family dependents, that hasn’t been updated in over half a century, since 1968 to be exact. It does not change how death benefits are calculated in general. Since this calculation in Alaska is tied to the average weekly wage. It also updates smaller items like funeral expenses where there’s a death. The bill, I’m happy to report, according to the fiscal notes, cost the state, really just a few hundred thousand dollars. The state agencies have to pay into the risk management and so they sort of pay a tax, but the net effect is, it’s a few hundred thousand dollars to the state.”
HB 30 would adjust the base amount used to calculate Permanent Partial Impairment, moving it from $177,000 to $273,000, which brings Alaska up to the national average. The bill also conservatively increases compensation for death benefits and funeral expenses to account for inflation. Additionally, HB 30 extends benefits for orphans from the age of 19 to the age of 23.
HB 30 passed the House on a 29-10 vote and has been transmitted to the state Senate.
Transcribed audio courtesy of KTOO 360TV.