Arizona Laws 23-941.03. Settlement of claims; supportive medical maintenance benefits; definition
A. Any final settlement agreement involving undisputed entitlement to supportive medical maintenance benefits is not valid and enforceable until the final settlement agreement is approved by the commission.
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 23-941.03
- Award: means the finding or decision of an administrative law judge or the commission as to the amount of compensation or benefit due an injured employee or the dependents of a deceased employee. See Arizona Laws 23-901
- Commission: means the industrial commission of Arizona. See Arizona Laws 23-901
- Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
B. The commission may approve a final settlement agreement involving undisputed entitlement to supportive medical maintenance benefits if the requirements of this section are satisfied.
C. Subject to the following requirements, the interested parties to a claim may enter into a final settlement and release of a claim for undisputed entitlement to supportive medical maintenance benefits after the period of temporary disability is terminated by a final notice of claim status or award of the commission. The carrier, special fund or self-insured employer shall submit a summary of all reasonably anticipated future supportive medical maintenance benefits and the projected cost of the benefits for review by the employee. The summary shall also be included with the final settlement agreement filed with the commission. All medical conditions subject to the final settlement agreement must be described in the final settlement agreement. The final settlement provisions defined in this subsection shall apply only to future supportive medical maintenance benefits for the described condition.
D. The carrier, special fund or self-insured employer shall inform the attending physician of the approval of a final settlement agreement. Unless supportive medical maintenance benefits rendered before the date of the final settlement are subject to a dispute or payment for the treatment was included in the final settlement agreement, the carrier, special fund or self-insured employer shall remain responsible for payment for the treatment not covered by the final settlement agreement as provided by this chapter.
E. This section does not prohibit a settlement that does not constitute a final settlement.
F. For the purposes of this section, "final settlement" means a settlement in which the injured worker waives any future entitlement to supportive medical maintenance benefits for known conditions described in the agreement.