Louisiana Revised Statutes 23:1201.4 – Forfeiture of benefits while incarcerated; exclusions; medical expenses
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 23:1201.4
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Health care provider: means a hospital, a person, corporation, facility, or institution licensed by the state to provide health care or professional services as a physician, hospital, dentist, registered or licensed practical nurse, pharmacist, optometrist, podiatrist, chiropractor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, psychologist, graduate social worker or licensed clinical social worker, psychiatrist, or licensed professional counselor, and any officer, employee, or agent thereby acting in the course and scope of his employment. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 23:1021
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- person: includes a body of persons, whether incorporated or not. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:10
A. Except as provided in Subsection B of this Section, the employee’s right to compensation benefits, including medical expenses, is forfeited during any period of incarceration, unless a workers’ compensation judge finds that an employee has dependents who rely on a compensation award for their support, in which case said compensation shall be made payable and transmitted to the legal guardian of the minor dependent or other person designated by the workers’ compensation judge and such payments shall be considered as having been made to the employee. After release from incarceration, the employee’s right to claim compensation benefits shall resume. An employee who is incarcerated but is later found to be not guilty of felony criminal charges or against whom all felony charges have been dismissed by the prosecutor shall have the prescriptive period for filing a claim for benefits under this Chapter extended by the number of days he was incarcerated.
B. When an employee has been assigned to a work release or transitional work program and has been injured as a result of such assignment, the provisions of this Section shall not be construed to limit the obligation of the employer to pay medical expenses to a health care provider when such medical expenses would be otherwise compensable under the Workers’ Compensation Act.
Acts 1989, No. 454, §5, eff. Jan. 1, 1990; Acts 1997, No. 88, §1, eff. June 11, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 320, §1; Acts 2012, No. 610, §1.