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SB 830

Workers' Compensation - Claims Application Form - Authorization for Release of Information

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Antonio Hayes

Expands workers’ compensation claim form authorization to share medical, financial, and WCC custody records with attorneys, employers/insurers, UEF/SIF, speeding adjudication.

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 308
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Bill Summary · SB 830

SB 830 — Workers’ Compensation: Claims Application Form — Authorization for Release of Information

Status: Approved by Governor (Chapter 308). Effective date: October 1, 2025.
Primary sponsor: Senator Hayes. (Bill amends Md. Labor & Employment §§ 9‑709(a), 9‑710(b), 9‑711(a).)

Purpose / Intent

SB 830 expands and clarifies who may receive information authorized on workers’ compensation claim application forms and broadens the scope of information that claimants must authorize be released. The change is intended to reduce administrative burdens (including subpoenas) and speed adjudication by making relevant records more readily available to funds and parties that adjudicate or contribute to benefits.

Key provisions

  • Requires the standard claim application form to include an authorization by the claimant permitting release of information to:
    • the claimant’s attorney,
    • the claimant’s employer and the employer’s insurer,
    • the Uninsured Employers’ Fund (UEF) and the Subsequent Injury Fund (SIF), and
    • agents of any of the above.
  • Expands the type of information that may be released:
    • from strictly “medical information that is relevant” to medical and financial information that “may be” relevant to (a) the injured body part and (b) the description of how the injury/disease occurred.
    • explicitly includes physical evidence and “additional claims filed by the claimant.”
    • adds release of information held in the custody of the Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC).
  • Preservation of certain limits:
    • the authorization remains effective for one year from the filing date.
    • the authorization does not restrict redisclosure to medical managers, health care professionals, or certified rehabilitation practitioners (i.e., those redisclosure paths remain permitted).

Who is affected

  • Claimants: must sign a broader authorization on application forms; more of their medical and financial records may be shared.
  • Employers and insurers: greater direct access to relevant records without subpoenas.
  • UEF and SIF: gain explicit statutory access to records needed for adjudicating fund liability or participation.
  • Workers’ Compensation Commission: its custody records are subject to release under claimant authorization.
  • Insurers (e.g., Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance) and self‑insured local governments: expected administrative cost reductions.

Expected impact

  • Administrative efficiencies: fiscal analysis projects fewer subpoenas, modest reductions in administrative costs for insurers, the State, and local governments. Chesapeake and other insurers anticipate minimal cost savings that could modestly lower premiums.
  • Fiscal: minimal special‑fund revenue increase (one‑time) for the Maryland Insurance Administration tied to a rate/form filing fee; overall State and local fiscal impacts are expected to be minimal.
  • Privacy: broadening “may be relevant” and authorizing release of WCC custody records expands the scope of shareable information — an outcome that may raise privacy considerations for claimants (authorization remains time‑limited to one year).

Implementation details

  • Statutory sections amended: Labor & Employment §§ 9‑709(a), 9‑710(b), 9‑711(a).
  • Effective date: October 1, 2025 (per Chapter 308, approved May 6, 2025).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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