HB 1515HawaiiProcess complete

Physicians may request work-capacity exams without employer permission

Hawaii law lets attending physicians request work-capacity examinations without employer permission when an injured employee's ability to work is in question after medical stabilization.

What it does

After an injured employee reaches medical stabilization, the attending physician may request an examination of the employee's ability to work without employer permission. The employer pays the fee, and written notice is due before referral.

Occupational and physical therapists who meet chapter 386's qualification requirements may perform functional capacity examinations for this limited purpose.

Argument forInjured employees could get an assessment of their ability to work without waiting for employer permission, if their physician finds the examination is needed.

Argument againstEmployers could face added costs because they must pay for functional capacity examinations requested by attending physicians.

More detail

An attending physician may request a functional capacity examination without first getting the employer's permission. This applies when an attending physician determines that an injured employee has reached medical stabilization and the employee's ability to work is in question. The employee must have reached medical stabilization, and the employee's ability to work must be in question. The provider must be trained, and the examination must be needed to evaluate or treat the injury. The provider's name, business address, discipline, and specialty, along with the reasons for the examination, must be submitted in writing to the employer at least seven calendar days before referral. The employer pays the fee. Written notice to the employer is due at least seven calendar days before referral. The provider must send the examination report to the attending physician and employer no later than fourteen calendar days after the examination.

Qualified occupational and physical therapists may perform functional capacity examinations for this limited purpose. This applies to occupational therapists and physical therapists who meet the chapter's health care provider qualification requirements. The therapist must meet the requirements for health care providers under section 386-27. This qualification is limited to performing functional capacity examinations under the new section.

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More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 14
Passed HouseMar 10
Passed SenateApr 14
To Governor
Became LawJun 24

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jun 24Act 124, 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1225).Latest
2. Jun 24Act 124, on 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1225).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 7Transmitted to Governor.
5. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 5Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 814).Minor
7. May 1Deferred one day 05-06-26.Minor
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Result: pass.Upper
8. May 1Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Fukunaga).Major
9. Apr 29Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 34-26) as amended in (CD 1).
10. Apr 29Forty-eight (48) hours notice Friday, 05-01-26.
11. Apr 29Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 34-26).
12. Apr 2948 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-01-26
13. Apr 28The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Matayoshi, Lee, M., Kapela, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
14. Apr 28The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) Elefante, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lamosao.Minor
15. Apr 27Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
16. Apr 24Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Monday 04-27-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
17. Apr 23Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Friday, 04-24-26 8:45AM in conference room 016.
18. Apr 21Senate Conferees Appointed: Elefante Chair; Kanuha Co-Chair; Lamosao.
19. Apr 21Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 717).Minor
20. Apr 20Re-referred to LAB, CPC, FIN, referral sheet 30Minor
21. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Sayama, Matayoshi, Lee, M. Co-Chairs; Kapela, Garcia.
22. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).Minor
23. Apr 17Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 780).Minor
24. Apr 16House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).Minor
25. Apr 14Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
26. Apr 14Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 577) in amended form (SD 1).
27. Apr 10Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3708) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
28. Apr 10One Day Notice 04-14-26.
29. Apr 9The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
30. Apr 7The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-09-26 10:55AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
31. Mar 30Reported from LBT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3352) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
32. Mar 30Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
33. Mar 23The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in LBT were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Elefante, Lamosao, Moriwaki; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Ihara, Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
34. Mar 20The committee(s) on LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 03-23-26 3:01PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
35. Mar 12Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 235).Minor
36. Mar 12Passed First Reading.Minor
37. Mar 12Referred to LBT, WAM.Minor
38. Mar 10Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2. Result: pass.Lower
39. Mar 6Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1051-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending passage on Third Reading.
40. Mar 6Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 03-10-26.
41. Feb 26The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Grandinetti, Chun, Ilagan, Ichiyama, Kong, Lowen, Tam; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Iwamoto, Marten, Pierick.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
42. Feb 24Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Thursday, 02-26-26 2:00PM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
43. Feb 20Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 632-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to CPC.
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC. Result: pass.Lower
44. Feb 20Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1).Minor
45. Feb 17The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Garrett, Kapela, Kong, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
46. Feb 13Bill scheduled to be heard by LAB on Tuesday, 02-17-26 9:00AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
47. Jan 26Referred to LAB, CPC, referral sheet 1Minor
48. Jan 21Introduced and Pass First Reading.Minor
49. Jan 14Prefiled.Introduced

HealthcareEconomy & Jobs

Issue with this bill?

HB 1515HawaiiProcess complete

Physicians may request work-capacity exams without employer permission

Hawaii law lets attending physicians request work-capacity examinations without employer permission when an injured employee's ability to work is in question after medical stabilization.

What it does

Occupational and physical therapists who meet chapter 386's qualification requirements may perform functional capacity examinations for this limited purpose.

Argument forInjured employees could get an assessment of their ability to work without waiting for employer permission, if their physician finds the examination is needed.

Argument againstEmployers could face added costs because they must pay for functional capacity examinations requested by attending physicians.

More detail

Where do you stand?

Tell your reps

Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.

More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 14
Passed HouseMar 10
Passed SenateApr 14
To Governor
Became LawJun 24

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jun 24Act 124, 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1225).Latest
2. Jun 24Act 124, on 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1225).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 7Transmitted to Governor.
5. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 5Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 814).Minor
7. May 1Deferred one day 05-06-26.Minor
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Result: pass.Upper
8. May 1Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Fukunaga).Major
9. Apr 29Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 34-26) as amended in (CD 1).
10. Apr 29Forty-eight (48) hours notice Friday, 05-01-26.
11. Apr 29Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 34-26).
12. Apr 2948 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-01-26
13. Apr 28The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Matayoshi, Lee, M., Kapela, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
14. Apr 28The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) Elefante, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lamosao.Minor
15. Apr 27Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
16. Apr 24Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Monday 04-27-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
17. Apr 23Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Friday, 04-24-26 8:45AM in conference room 016.
18. Apr 21Senate Conferees Appointed: Elefante Chair; Kanuha Co-Chair; Lamosao.
19. Apr 21Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 717).Minor
20. Apr 20Re-referred to LAB, CPC, FIN, referral sheet 30Minor
21. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Sayama, Matayoshi, Lee, M. Co-Chairs; Kapela, Garcia.
22. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).Minor
23. Apr 17Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 780).Minor
24. Apr 16House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).Minor
25. Apr 14Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
26. Apr 14Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 577) in amended form (SD 1).
27. Apr 10Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3708) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
28. Apr 10One Day Notice 04-14-26.
29. Apr 9The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
30. Apr 7The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-09-26 10:55AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
31. Mar 30Reported from LBT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3352) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
32. Mar 30Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
33. Mar 23The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in LBT were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Elefante, Lamosao, Moriwaki; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Ihara, Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
34. Mar 20The committee(s) on LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 03-23-26 3:01PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
35. Mar 12Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 235).Minor
36. Mar 12Passed First Reading.Minor
37. Mar 12Referred to LBT, WAM.Minor
38. Mar 10Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2. Result: pass.Lower
39. Mar 6Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1051-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending passage on Third Reading.
40. Mar 6Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 03-10-26.
41. Feb 26The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Grandinetti, Chun, Ilagan, Ichiyama, Kong, Lowen, Tam; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Iwamoto, Marten, Pierick.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
42. Feb 24Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Thursday, 02-26-26 2:00PM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
43. Feb 20Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 632-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to CPC.
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC. Result: pass.Lower
44. Feb 20Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1).Minor
45. Feb 17The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Garrett, Kapela, Kong, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
46. Feb 13Bill scheduled to be heard by LAB on Tuesday, 02-17-26 9:00AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
47. Jan 26Referred to LAB, CPC, referral sheet 1Minor
48. Jan 21Introduced and Pass First Reading.Minor
49. Jan 14Prefiled.Introduced

HealthcareEconomy & Jobs

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What it does

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More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History

What it does

Where do you stand?

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More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History