Changes Effective Immediately
Minn. Stat. § 176.155, Subd. 1. Employer’s Physician
Allows employees to have a personal physician or unpaid witness present at an IME. It is still the responsibility of the employee to cover the cost for their personal physician, but they are now allowed to have someone other than their physician present during an examination.
Changes Effective for Dates of Injury on or after October 1, 2026
Minn. Stat § 176.011, Subd. 15. Occupational Disease
- A diagnosis of work-related post-traumatic stress disorder can now be made by a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
Minn. Stat. § 176.221, Subd. 1. Commencement of Payment
- An employer and insurer now have 90 days to file an Amended Notice of Primary Liability Determination (NOPLD). This is an increase from 60 days.
Minn. Stat. § 176.101, Subd. 2a. Permanent Partial Disability
- The dollar amount for any given PPD rating has been increased by approximately 20%.
Final Takeaway
This year’s legislative changes do not dramatically change the landscape of workers’ compensation in Minnesota. The main changes noted above are the result of efforts by all stakeholders to make the workers’ compensation system operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. The changes will increase the exposure for permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits, and may increase the number of claims involving a PTSD diagnosis. However, employer and insurers now have additional time to amend their liability determination in claims where additional investigation may impact the original liability determination.
