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City of Pleasanton Legislative Platform 2016 eoo County of Alameda v. WCAB(Knitte0 SB 897 could also be construed to overturn a recent court decision which upheld that benefits provided under Labor Code§4850 are included in the term"aggregate disability benefits"in Labor Code§ 4656(c)(2)—therefore,the 104 week cap is reached once an injured worker has utilized§4850 benefits and a year of TD benefits.SB 897 provides an additional year of benefits under Labor Code§4850"...in lieu of temporary disability payments..."It is unclear whether this legislation's intent is for the second year of full salary to be included in the I04-week cap or for the specified officers to receive two years of §4850 benefits in addition to the one year of TD benefits. Cost Concerns Many public agencies are self-insured for workers'compensation claims.Payments are treated in a pay- as-you-go manner.Therefore,any increase in costs has a direct impact on the same local funds that are utilized to provide services to our residents.While employers wait to experience the full effects of promised cost savings following the passage of the workers'compensation system reforms in 2012,it should be noted that public agencies in California share some of the highest workers'compensation costs in the state.We believe that the current benefits available to this class of employees is an optimal balance between providing fair treatment and rehabilitation benefits to injured workers and maintaining a stable fiscal situation for local governments—the additional,unnecessary expansion of benefits in SB 897 will lead to unprecedented and unpredictable costs to public agencies. For these reasons,the League of California Cities must oppose SB 897.Should you have any questions, please contact Dane Hutchings at 916-658-8210. tk,S0110.4sal.c Sincerely, Dane Hutchings Legislative Representative cc: Chair and Members,Senate Labor and Industrial Relations 27 I Page