On February 21, 2024, Associate Policy Director Brianna January testified before the House Economic Matters Committee in opposition to HB 669- Workers’ Compensation- Benefits- Hearing Loss. This bill would expand existing eligibility for workers’ compensation related to hearing loss to include tinnitus and would void the current common-sense age-based deductions to account for natural, age-induced hearing loss.
Under HB 669, workers’ compensation claims for tinnitus would no longer require disablement for eligibility, nor would they calculate age-based deductions to account for natural, age-induced hearing loss. Not only would benefit claims likely increase to a broader pool of workers’ compensation candidates for lifetime claims, but employers would also no longer be able to fairly adjust for natural, age-induced hearing loss, greatly increasing the costliness of such claims – which are many. To put this into perspective: on average, one Maryland county receives 5-6 workers’ compensation claims related to hearing loss per week.
Under HB 669, county expenditures to cover the new and expanded workers’ compensation benefits would increase at a time when local governments find themselves in a precarious financial situation.
HB 669’s cross-file, SB 843, was heard on March 5, 2024 in the Senate Finance Committee. Brianna January testified in opposition to this bill.
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