On May 5th, Louisiana House Bill 117 – which would require the Workforce Commission to update the state’s 30-year-old workers’ compensation fee schedule – passed the House of Representatives with a 62-26 vote.

Workers’ comp stakeholders in Louisiana have long advocated for a modernized fee schedule to better align with today’s economic and healthcare standards, and if enacted, would require a new, updated fee schedule to take effect by January 1, 2026.

The bill is now with the Senate, although it may face some pushback. The bill’s sponsor emphasized the need to modernize reimbursement rates that better align with neighboring states, committed to bringing the bill back annually until a solution is reached.

The bill sponsor also noted that Senate Bill 213, a more detailed fee schedule proposal using fixed RVU codes and multipliers to determine rates, has been converted into a study resolution and will not advance.