provider benefits; employees; injuries; provider

SB1404 - provider benefits; employees; injuries; provider

Healthcare Labor

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Janae Shamp
Last action: 2026-01-28
Official status: Senate second read
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text does not specify an effective date for this bill.

SB1404: Updates to Workers' Compensation Medical Benefits and Payment Rules

This bill updates Arizona law to let injured workers choose their medical providers, adds translation services as a covered benefit when needed, sets travel reimbursement rules for distances over 25 miles, and defines how compensation payments are made.

What This Bill Does

Allows injured employees to pick their own doctor, pharmacy, and certain lab or imaging services if the employer does not control care under section 23-1070.
Requires that medical benefits include translation services when needed during treatment.
Lets employers choose a certified translator unless one cannot be found for the specific language required.
Pays for reasonable travel costs only if an employee must drive more than 25 miles from home to get medical care.
Sets rules saying workers' compensation payments start no later than 21 days after written notification of a claim filing and are paid every two weeks or monthly.
Allows employers to pay benefits using checks, electronic bank transfers, or prepaid debit cards.

Who It Names or Affects

Injured employees who file workers' compensation claims in Arizona
Employers and insurance carriers that provide workers' compensation coverage
Medical providers such as doctors, pharmacies, and labs treating injured workers

Terms To Know

Ancillary service: Support services like lab tests, imaging scans, or durable medical equipment that help with treatment.
Carrier: The insurance company that pays for workers' compensation benefits.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not say how much money will be paid for travel expenses, only that they must be reasonable.
Translation services are covered only if needed; the law does not define exactly when a translator is required.
This summary covers changes to Section 23-1062 but does not include details about other parts of workers' compensation law.

Bill History

2026-01-28 Senate
Senate second read
2026-01-27 Senate
Senate Rules: None
2026-01-27 Senate
Senate Finance: None
2026-01-27 Senate
Senate first read

Official Summary Text

SB1404 - provider benefits; employees; injuries; provider

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB1404 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
provider benefits; employees; injuries; provider

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1404

Introduced by

Senator
Shamp

AN
ACT

amending section 23-1062, arizona
revised statutes; relating to workers' compensation.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 23-1062, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
23-1062.

Medical, surgical, hospital benefits; translation services;
travel expenses; commencement of compensation; method of compensation

A. Promptly, on notice to the employer, every
injured employee shall receive medical, surgical and hospital benefits or other
treatment, nursing, medicine, surgical supplies, crutches and other apparatus,
including artificial members, reasonably required at the time of the injury,
and during the period of disability. Such benefits shall be termed
"medical, surgical and hospital benefits".�
For the
purposes of this subsection and except as provided in section 23-1070, an
injured employee may choose all of the following that are related to medical,
surgical and hospital benefits:

1. The medical provider.

2. The pharmacy that provides
prescription drugs.

3. An ancillary service that
includes:

(
a
) Laboratory
services.

(
b
) Imaging
services.

(
c
) Durable
medical equipment.

B. Medical, surgical and hospital benefits include
translation services, if needed.� A carrier, self-insurance pool or
employer that does not direct care pursuant to section 23-1070 may choose
the translator if the translator is certified by an outside agency and is not
an employee of the carrier, self-insurance pool or
employer. If the carrier, self-insurance pool or employer is
unable to locate a certified translator for the particular language or dialect
needed, the parties may agree on a translator who is not a certified
translator.

C. Compensation for medical, surgical and hospital
benefits shall include reimbursement for reasonable travel expenses if the
employee must travel more than twenty-five miles from the employee's
place of residence to obtain medical care for the injury.

D. The first installment of compensation is to be
paid
no

not
later than the twenty-first
day after written notification by the commission to the carrier of the filing
of a claim unless the right to compensation is denied. Thereafter,
compensation shall be paid at least once each two weeks during the period of
temporary total disability and at least monthly
thereafter. Compensation shall not be paid for the first seven days
after the injury. If the incapacity extends beyond the period of
seven days, compensation shall begin on the eighth day after the injury, but if
the disability continues for one week beyond such seven days, compensation
shall be computed from the date of the injury.

E. Compensation shall
be made by negotiable instrument, payable immediately on demand or, at the
election of the employee and if offered by the employer or carrier, by another
commonly accepted method for transferring money by banking institutions,
including electronic fund transfers to the employee's account or a prepaid
debit card account that is established for the purpose of making direct
electronic payment to the employee.
END_STATUTE