CaliforniaWorkers' compensation.
What it does
Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of employment. Existing law requires an employer to provide medical, surgical, chiropractic, acupuncture, and hospital treatment that is reasonably required to cure or relieve the injured worker from the effects of the injury. Existing law requires every contracting agent, that sells, leases, assigns, transfers, or conveys its list of contract health care providers and their contracted reimbursement rates to a payor, to comply with certain requirements.
More detail
Existing law also requires a payor to, among other things, provide an explanation of benefits or explanation of review that identifies the name of the network that the payor has an agreement with that entitles them to pay a preferred rate for the services rendered.
This bill would require the explanation of review or explanation of benefits to include the state assigned medical provider network identification number and an email address that the rendering medical provider may use to request a copy of the underlying contract that entitles them to take the preferred rate. The bill would state that disclosure of a medical provider network does not satisfy this requirement. The bill would require the payor, upon request, to provide the rendering provider or their agent with a copy of the underlying contract once per 365-day period.
Existing law requires each employer to establish a utilization review process to review and approve, modify, or deny treatment recommendations and establishes an independent medical review process to resolve disputes over a utilization review decision. Existing law requires various requirements to be met in determining whether to approve, modify, or deny requests by a physician for medical services.
This bill would require a request for authorization of medical services by a physician to be signed by that physician, and would authorize a request to be sent via mail, fax, or electronic methods, as specified. The bill would make other conforming changes.
Where do you stand?
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Aug 13In committee: Held under submission.Latest
- Jun 29In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 15Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Major
- Jun 11From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 10).Major
- Jun 10
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- May 27Re-referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R.Minor
- Jan 22From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on RLS.Major
- 2025
- Sep 8Re-referred to Com. on RLS.Minor
- Sep 8Withdrawn from committee.Major
- Sep 8(Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 2570.)
- Sep 8Re-referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(b).Minor
- Sep 8Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(b).Minor
- Sep 8Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Sep 5Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.Major
- Aug 20Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 19From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.Minor
- Jul 9From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (July 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 18Referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R.Minor
- Jun 5In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- Jun 4Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 2057.)Passed Assembly
- Vote recorded AB 1048 Chen Assembly Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- May 27Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- May 23From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (May 23).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- May 21Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 1627.)
- May 21In committee: Set, second hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- May 14In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
- Apr 23From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 21Re-referred to Com. on INS.Minor
- Apr 10From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on INS. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 25Re-referred to Com. on INS.Minor
- Mar 24From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on INS. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 24Referred to Com. on INS.Minor
- Feb 21From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
- Feb 20Read first time. To print.Introduced