HB1515 • 2026

RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

Labor

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: MATAYOSHI, GRANDINETTI, ILAGAN, KILA, KITAGAWA, LEE, M., MARTEN, OLDS, TAKAYAMA, TARNAS, TEMPLO
Last action: 2026-05-07
Official status: Transmitted to Governor.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

What This Bill Does

RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION.
Workers' Compensation; Functional Capacity Examination; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy Authorizes an attending physician to request a functional capacity examination and refer an injured employee for the examination without first obtaining permission from the employee's employer in order to assess the employee's ability to return to work.
Allows licensed occupational and physical therapists to be deemed qualified to perform functional capacity examinations.
(CD1)

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

CD1

Hawaii published version CD1

Plain English: HB1515 CD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.

HB1515 CD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.
NO.
1515 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D.
2 STATE OF HAWAII S.D.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: HB1515 HD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.

HB1515 HD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.
NO.
1515 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D.
1 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION .

HD2

Hawaii published version HD2

Plain English: HB1515 HD2 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.

HB1515 HD2 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.
NO.
1515 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D.
2 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION .

SD1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: HB1515 SD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.

HB1515 SD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.
NO.
1515 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D.
2 STATE OF HAWAII S.D.

Bill History

2026-05-08 S
Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).
2026-05-07 H
Transmitted to Governor.
2026-05-06 H
Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).
2026-05-05 H
Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 814).
2026-05-01 S
Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Fukunaga).
2026-05-01 H
Deferred one day 05-06-26.
2026-04-29 S
48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-01-26
2026-04-29 S
Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 34-26).
2026-04-29 H
Forty-eight (48) hours notice Friday, 05-01-26.
2026-04-29 H
Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 34-26) as amended in (CD 1).
2026-04-28 S
The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) Elefante, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lamosao.
2026-04-28 H
The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Matayoshi, Lee, M., Kapela, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.
2026-04-27 H
Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
2026-04-24 H
Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Monday 04-27-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
2026-04-23 H
Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Friday, 04-24-26 8:45AM in conference room 016.
2026-04-21 H
Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 717).
2026-04-21 S
Senate Conferees Appointed: Elefante Chair; Kanuha Co-Chair; Lamosao.
2026-04-20 S
Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).
2026-04-20 H
House Conferees Appointed: Sayama, Matayoshi, Lee, M. Co-Chairs; Kapela, Garcia.
2026-04-20 H
Re-referred to LAB, CPC, FIN, referral sheet 30
2026-04-17 S
Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 780).
2026-04-16 H
House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).
2026-04-14 H
Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 577) in amended form (SD 1).
2026-04-14 S
Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.
2026-04-10 S
One Day Notice 04-14-26.
2026-04-10 S
Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3708) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
2026-04-09 S
The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
2026-04-07 S
The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-09-26 10:55AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
2026-03-30 S
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
2026-03-30 S
Reported from LBT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3352) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
2026-03-23 S
The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in LBT were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Elefante, Lamosao, Moriwaki; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Ihara, Fevella.
2026-03-20 S
The committee(s) on LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 03-23-26 3:01PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
2026-03-12 S
Referred to LBT, WAM.
2026-03-12 S
Passed First Reading.
2026-03-12 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 235).
2026-03-10 H
Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.
2026-03-06 H
Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 03-10-26.
2026-03-06 H
Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1051-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending passage on Third Reading.
2026-02-26 H
The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Grandinetti, Chun, Ilagan, Ichiyama, Kong, Lowen, Tam; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Iwamoto, Marten, Pierick.
2026-02-24 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Thursday, 02-26-26 2:00PM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-02-20 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1).
2026-02-20 H
Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 632-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to CPC.
2026-02-17 H
The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Garrett, Kapela, Kong, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.
2026-02-13 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by LAB on Tuesday, 02-17-26 9:00AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-01-26 H
Referred to LAB, CPC, referral sheet 1
2026-01-21 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-14 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION.
Workers' Compensation; Functional Capacity Examination; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy
Authorizes an attending physician to request a functional capacity examination and refer an injured employee for the examination without first obtaining permission from the employee's employer in order to assess the employee's ability to return to work. Allows licensed occupational and physical therapists to be deemed qualified to perform functional capacity examinations. (CD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1515

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1515

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that timely and
accurate determination of an injured worker's physical abilities and functional
restrictions is essential to ensure fair treatment under the workers'
compensation system.
�
Functional capacity
examinations play a critical role in assessing whether an injured worker can
return to work, with or without accommodations, or proceed with vocational
rehabilitation when returning to full duty is not possible.
�
However, the current system often delays
functional capacity examinations due to denials or pending approvals from
insurers or adjusters, thereby prolonging the injured worker's path to recovery
and return to work.
�
These delays
exacerbate financial and emotional strain on workers, increase administrative
inefficiencies, and impede the progress of vocational rehabilitation programs.

����
Therefore,
the purpose of this Act is to streamline the approval process for functional
capacity examinations, ensuring automatic approval of the examinations when
requested by the attending physician under certain conditions, thereby reducing
unnecessary delays and improving outcomes for injured workers.

����
SECTION
2.
�
Chapter 386, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding a new section to part II to be appropriately designated
and to read as follows:

����
"
�386-
�
Functional
capacity examination.
�
(a)
�

When an injured employee's attending physician has determined that the
employee has reached medical stabilization and is permanently unable to return
to the employee's usual and customary employment, the physician may request a
functional capacity examination to be performed by a qualified health care
provider whose opinion or advice is necessary in the evaluation and treatment
of the injured employee's injury; provided that:

����
(1)
�
The qualified
health care provider shall be trained to perform a functional capacity examination;
and

����
(2)
�
The attending
physician shall not be required to obtain permission from the employer before
requesting a functional capacity examination or referring the employee for a
functional capacity examination.

����
(b)
�

The name, business address, discipline, and specialty of the qualified
health care provider and reasons for the functional capacity examination shall
be submitted in writing to the employer at least seven calendar days before the
referral.

����
(c)
�

The qualified health care provider performing the functional capacity
examination shall provide a copy of the functional capacity examination report
to the attending physician and employer no later than fourteen calendar days after
the date of the examination.

����
(d)
�

Fees for functional capacity examinations requested by the attending
physician pursuant to this section shall be paid by the employer.

����
(e)
�
As
used in this section:

����
"Functional capacity examination"
means a set of tests that are used to identify an injured employee's physical
skills, functional capabilities, activity endurance, and work
tolerances
after reaching medical stabilization.

����
"Functional
capacity examination report" means a report issued by a qualified health
care provider that provides recommendations regarding an injured employee's
ability to return to work or return to work with restrictions or the need for
accommodations to safely return to work based on a functional capacity
examination performed on the employee
.

����
"Qualified health care provider"
means a health care provider who meets the qualifications under section 386-27
to render health care and services under this chapter.
"

����
SECTION
3
.
�
Section 386-27,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as
follows:

����
"(a)
�
All health care providers rendering health
care and services under this chapter shall be qualified by the director and
shall remain qualified by satisfying the requirements established in this
section.
�
The director shall qualify any
person initially who has a license for the practice of:

����
(1)
�
Medicine or
osteopathy under chapter 453;

����
(2)
�
Dentistry under
chapter 448;

����
(3)
�
Chiropractic under
chapter 442;

����
(4)
�
Naturopathic
medicine under chapter 455;

����
(5)
�
Optometry under
chapter 459;

����
(6)
�
Podiatry under
chapter 463E;

����
(7)
�
Psychology under
chapter 465; [
and
]

����
(8)
�
Advanced practice
registered nurses under chapter 457[
.
]
; and

����
(9)
�
O
ccupational
therapy under chapter 457G or physical therapy under chapter 461J; provided
that occupational therapists and physical therapists qualified under this
section shall be qualified for the limited purpose of performing functional
capacity examinations pursuant to section 386‑ .
"

����
SECTION 4.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

����
SECTION 5.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Workers'
Compensation; Functional Capacity Examination; Occupational Therapy; Physical
Therapy

Description:

Authorizes
an attending physician to request a functional capacity examination and refer
an injured employee for the examination without first obtaining permission from
the employee's employer.
�
Allows licensed
occupational and physical therapists to be deemed qualified to perform
functional capacity examinations.

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not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.