Sanford signs workers' compensation bill

Julian Barton, Keith Smith, Mark Nix, Governor Mark Sanford, and Jim Gregorie

Gov. Mark Sanford recently signed workers' compensation reform , S.332, that will lower premiums for business and disqualify certain ailments from coverage.

Workers' compensation reform has been a top priority for Gov. Sanford this year.

"We believe this bill will have a material impact in improving our workers' compensation system, a system that had unfortunately become too subjective, was hurting our small businesses' ability to compete, and was driving up costs for the average South Carolinian," Sanford said in a news release. "I'd give real credit to many of the business groups in our state and to reform-minded legislators who pushed for these changes, because the unfortunate reality is that one of the main impediments to getting this bill passed sooner were some of the lawyer-legislators who vote on these reforms and make millions from the current system. Even though this bill represents a big step forward, it does fall short on the idea of making workers' compensation awards based upon objective standards, something we continue to believe needs to be addressed."

The bill will:

• make winning "repetitive trauma" claims tougher by limiting claims to the injury suffered by the employee and not future injuries that might result
• require employees to provide medical expert testimony in medically complex cases
• make it tougher for workers with back injuries to make disability claims.

Julian Barton, Governor Sanford and Keith Smith

Sanford cites numbers which say South Carolina's workers' comp premiums grew more than 18 percent, the second-fastest growth rate in the nation.