Sec. 1. 39-A MRSA §153, sub-§8, ķA, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 885, Pt. A, §8 and affected by §§9 to 11, is amended to read:

A. In order to reduce litigation and establish more certainty and uniformity in the rating of permanent impairment, the board shall establish by rule a schedule for determining the existence and degree of permanent impairment based upon medically or scientifically demonstrable findings. The schedule must be based on generally accepted medical standards for determining impairment and may incorporate all or part of any one or more generally accepted schedules used for that purpose, such as the American Medical Association's "Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment." Pending the adoption of a permanent schedule, "Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment," 3rd edition, copyright 1990, by the American Medical Association, is the temporary schedule and must be used for the purposes of this subsection. Notwithstanding this paragraph, in assessing injuries involving the spinal column, the schedule is the American Medical Association's "Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment," 5th edition, copyright 2001.

SUMMARY

This bill requires the Workers' Compensation Board to use the 5th edition of the American Medical Association's "Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment" to assess impairment relating to injuries involving the spinal column.