Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor and Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1167 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to add "occupational therapist" and "certified occupational therapy assistant" to the definition of medical care, medical service, or medical supplies for workers' compensation purposes.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii, and numerous individuals testified in support of this bill. Argonaut Insurance Company, and Department of Human Resources of The City and County of Honolulu, and Hawaii Insurers Council opposed this commented.

Your Committee finds that occupational therapists and certified occupational therapist assistants have rendered optimum therapeutic services to workers' compensation patients that include multiple neurological and orthopedic diagnoses. Without the expertise of the occupational therapists and certified occupational therapist assistant, the patients would not receive the appropriate care needed.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor and Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1167, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1167, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.