FIRSTREGULARSESSION
HOUSEBILLNO.1290
102NDGENERALASSEMBLY
INTRODUCEDBYREPRESENTATIVETAYLOR(48).
1405H.01I DANARADEMANMILLER,ChiefClerk
ANACT
Torepealsection287.250,RSMo,andtoenactinlieuthereofonenewsectionrelatingto
workers'compensationbenefits.
BeitenactedbytheGeneralAssemblyofthestateofMissouri,asfollows:
SectionA.Section287.250,RSMo,isrepealedandonenewsectionenactedinlieu
2thereof,tobeknownassection287.250,toreadasfollows:
287.250.1.Exceptasotherwiseprovidedforinthischapter,themethodof
2computinganinjuredemployee'saverageweeklyearningswhichwillserveasthebasisfor
3compensationprovidedforinthischaptershallbeasfollows:
4 (1)Ifthewagesarefixedbytheweek,theamountsofixedshallbetheaverage
5weeklywage;
6 (2)Ifthewagesarefixedbythemonth,theaverageweeklywageshallbethe
7monthlywagesofixedmultipliedbytwelveanddividedbyfifty-two;
8 (3)Ifthewagesarefixedbytheyear,theaverageweeklywageshallbetheyearly
9wagefixeddividedbyfifty-two;
10 (4)Ifthewageswerefixedbytheday,hour,orbytheoutputoftheemployee,the
11averageweeklywageshallbecomputedbydividingbythirteenthewagesearnedwhile
12actuallyemployedbytheemployerineachofthelastthirteencalendarweeksimmediately
13precedingtheweekinwhichtheemployeewasinjuredorifactuallyemployedbythe
14employerforlessthanthirteenweeks,bythenumberofcalendarweeks,oranyportionofa
15week,duringwhichtheemployeewasactuallyemployedbytheemployer.Forpurposesof
16computingtheaverageweeklywagepursuanttothissubdivision,absenceoffiveregularor
17scheduledworkdays,evenifnotinthesamecalendarweek,shallbeconsideredasabsence
EXPLANATION—Matterenclosedinbold-facedbrackets[thus] intheabovebillisnotenactedandis
intendedtobeomittedfromthelaw.Matterinbold-facetypeintheabovebillisproposedlanguage. 18foracalendarweek.Iftheemployeecommencedemploymentonadayotherthanthe
19beginningofacalendarweek,suchcalendarweekandthewagesearnedduringsuchweek
20shallbeexcludedincomputingtheaverageweeklywagepursuanttothissubdivision;
21 (5)Iftheemployeehasbeenemployedlessthantwocalendarweeksimmediately
22precedingtheinjury,theemployee'sweeklywageshallbeconsideredtobeequivalenttothe
23averageweeklywageprevailinginthesameorsimilaremploymentatthetimeoftheinjury,
24exceptiftheemployerhasagreedtoacertainhourlywage,thenthehourlywageagreedupon
25multipliedbythenumberofweeklyhoursscheduledshallbetheemployee'saverageweekly
26wage;
27 (6)Ifthehourlywagehasnotbeenfixedorcannotbeascertained,ortheemployee
28earnednowage,thewageforthepurposeofcalculatingcompensationshallbetakentobethe
29usualwageforsimilarserviceswheresuchservicesarerenderedbypaidemployeesofthe
30employeroranyotheremployer;
31 (7)Incomputingtheaverageweeklywagepursuanttosubdivisions(1)to(6)ofthis
32subsection,anemployeeshallbeconsideredtohavebeenactuallyemployedforonlythose
33weeksinwhichlaborisactuallyperformedbytheemployeefortheemployerandwagesare
34actuallypaidbytheemployerascompensationforsuchlabor.
35 2.Forpurposesofthissection,theterm"grosswages"includes,inadditiontomoney
36paymentsforservicesrendered,thereasonablevalueofboard,rent,housing,lodgingor
37similaradvancereceivedfromtheemployer,exceptifsuchbenefitscontinuetobeprovided
38duringtheperiodofthedisability,thenthevalueofsuchbenefitsshallnotbeconsideredin
39calculatingtheaverageweeklywageoftheemployee.Theterm"wages",asusedinthis
40section,includesthevalueofanygratuitiesreceivedinthecourseofemploymentfrom
41personsotherthantheemployertotheextentthatsuchgratuitiesarereportedforincometax
42purposes."Wages",asusedinthissection,doesnotincludefringebenefitssuchas
43retirement,pension,healthandwelfare,lifeinsurance,training,SocialSecurityorother
44employeeordependentbenefitplanfurnishedbytheemployerforthebenefitofthe
45employee.Anywagespaidtohelpersoranymoneypaidbytheemployertotheemployeeto
46coveranyspecialexpensesincurredbytheemployeebecauseofthenatureofhisemployment
47shallnotbeincludedinwages.
48 3.Ifanemployeeishiredbytheemployerforlessthanthenumberofhoursperweek
49neededtobeclassifiedasafull-timeorregularemployee,benefitscomputedforpurposesof
50thischapterforpermanentpartialdisability,permanenttotaldisabilityanddeathbenefitsshall
51bebasedupontheaverageweeklywageofafull-timeorregularemployeeengagedbythe
52employertoperformworkofthesameorsimilarnatureandatthenumberofhoursperweek
53requiredbytheemployertoclassifytheemployeeasafull-timeorregularemployee,butsuch
54computationshallnotbebasedonlessthanthirtyhoursperweek.
HB1290 2 55 4.Ifpursuanttothissectiontheaverageweeklywagecannotfairlyandjustlybe
56determinedbytheformulasprovidedinsubsections1to3ofthissection,thedivisionorthe
57commissionmaydeterminetheaverageweeklywageinsuchmannerandbysuchmethodas,
58intheopinionofthedivisionorthecommission,basedupontheexceptionalfactspresented,
59fairlydeterminesuchemployee'saverageweeklywage.
60 5.Incomputingthecompensationtobepaidtoanemployee,who,beforetheinjury
61forwhichtheemployeeclaimscompensation,wasdisabledanddrawingcompensationunder
62theprovisionsofthischapter,thecompensationforeachsubsequentinjuryshallbe
63apportionedaccordingtotheproportionofincapacityanddisabilitycausedbytherespective
64injurieswhichtheemployeemayhavesuffered.
65 6.Forpurposesofestablishingarateofcompensationapplicableonlytopermanent
66partialdisability,permanenttotaldisabilityanddeathbenefits,pursuanttothischapter,the
67averageweeklywageforanemployeewhoisundertheageoftwenty-oneyearsshallbe
68adjustedtotakeintoconsiderationtheincreasedearningpowerofsuchemployeeuntilsheor
69heattainstheageoftwenty-oneyearsandtheaverageweeklywageforanemployeewhois
70anapprenticeoratrainee,andwhoseearningswouldreasonablybeexpectedtoincrease,
71shallbeadjustedtoreflectalevelofexpectedincrease,baseduponcompletionof
72apprenticeshiportraineeship,providedthatsuchadjustmentoftheaverageweeklywageshall
73notconsiderexpectedincreaseforaperiodoccurringmorethanthreeyearsafterthedateof
74theinjury.
75 7.Inallcasesinwhichitisfoundbythedivisionorthecommissionthattheemployer
76knowinglyemployedaminorinviolationofthechildlaborlawsofthisstate,afiftypercent
77additionalcompensationshallbeallowed.
78 8.Foranemployeewithmultipleemployments,astotheemployee'sentitlementto
79anytemporarytotalortemporarypartialdisabilitybenefitsonlypursuanttosubsection9of
80section287.220,andfornootherpurposes,theemployee'stotalaverageweeklywageshallbe
81equaltothesumofthetotaloftheaverageweeklywagecomputedseparatelyforeach
82employmentpursuanttotheprovisionsofthissectiontowhichtheemployeeisunableto
83returnbecauseofthisinjury.
84 9.Theparties,byagreementandwithapprovalofanadministrativelawjudge,legal
85advisororthecommission,mayenterintoacompromiselumpsumsettlementineither
86permanenttotalorpermanentpartialdisabilitycaseswhichproratesthelumpsumsettlement
87overthelifeexpectancyoftheinjuredworker.Whensuchanagreementhasbeenapproved,
88neithertheweeklycompensationratepaidthroughoutthecasenorthemaximumstatutory
89weeklyrateapplicabletotheinjuryshallapply.Nocompensationrateshallexceedthe
90maximumstatutoryweeklyrateasofthedateoftheinjury.Instead,theproratedratesetforth
HB1290 3 91intheapprovedsettlementdocumentsshallcontrolandbecometherateforthatcase.This
92sectionshallberetroactiveineffect.
93 10.Inthecaseofavolunteerfirefighterasdefinedundersection320.333ora
94volunteeremergencyservicesresponder,thecompensationbenefitshallbebasedonthe
95averageweeklywageinsuchvolunteer'sregularemployment.
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