# Rhode Island H8524: AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WORKERS' COMPENSATION--GENERAL PROVISIONS . Rhode Island H8524, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WORKERS' COMPENSATION--GENERAL PROVISIONS ., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Arthur J. Corvese (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-06-23 (Signed by Governor — Chapter 398); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8524-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Rhode Island H8524 - State: Rhode Island - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WORKERS' COMPENSATION--GENERAL PROVISIONS . - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-05-06 - Last action: 2026-06-23, Signed by Governor — Chapter 398 - Sponsor: Arthur J. Corvese (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 7 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 1 (66 yes, 1 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Workers’ comp now covers hearing aids: benefit, high. The law requires employers to pay for medical, optical, dental, and surgical devices needed to cure or relieve a work injury. Hearing aids and other amplification devices are now covered when needed to treat or relieve the injury. - Full pay and medical for injured first responders: benefit, high. Covered police, firefighters, crash rescue crew, fire marshals, and certain deputies get their full salary or wages and benefits during incapacity from a duty injury or sickness, or while giving emergency help in Rhode Island. Employers also pay for medical, dental, optical, nursing, hospital care,… - PTSD presumed job injury for police and fire: benefit, medium. If a police officer or firefighter is diagnosed with PTSD by an independent licensed mental health professional with a master’s degree, the law presumes it is a line‑of‑duty injury when tied to exposure to potentially traumatic events at work or while giving emergency help in Rhode Island, includin… - Easier to fix wrong workers’ comp agreements: benefit, low. You can ask the workers’ compensation court to correct a memorandum of agreement for mistakes. Reasons include a wrong diagnosis, missing injuries or body parts, or the wrong compensation rate. The court can hear the petition and fix errors. - Apply for disability retirement or injured-on-duty stops: cost, high. If you receive injured-on-duty (IOD) pay and fall under the state retirement board, you must apply for accidental disability retirement by the later of 18 months after the injury or 60 days after your doctor certifies maximum medical improvement. If your injury is static and incapacitating, apply w… - Off‑duty claims need proof and oaths: cost, medium. To claim benefits for injuries while giving off‑duty emergency help in Rhode Island, you must show you reasonably believed an emergency needed immediate help to protect or rescue human life. You and any available witnesses must file sworn declarations with the date, time, place, what happened, and… - Clearer rules for earning capacity and impairment: mixed, medium. The court can set weekly earning capacity using a real job offer or other proof of ability to earn, including your level of functional impairment. Functional impairment is measured by the AMA Guides (6th edition) or similar sources after you reach maximum medical improvement. Your actual light‑duty… - Workers’ comp court for state employees: mixed, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, state and Rhode Island airport corporation employees who qualify for chapter 19 benefits (not sworn state police) use the workers’ compensation court for many disputes. The court can decide liability, disability status, injury location, maximum medical improvement, medical a… - Rehab expenses reimbursed once a month: mixed, low. You may submit reimbursement requests for rehab costs—like board, lodging, travel, or transportation—no more than once every 30 days. This limits how often you can seek payment for those expenses. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Arthur J. Corvese (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Samuel A. Azzinaro (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Stephen M. Casey (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Brian Patrick Kennedy (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Carol Hagan McEntee (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Thomas E. Noret (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Earl A. Read, III (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Joseph J. Solomon, Jr. (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-06-04 | House | WORKERS' COMP GENERAL PROVISIONS PASSAGE | pass | 66 | 1 | | ## Actions (11) - 2026-06-23: Signed by Governor — Chapter 398 (Governor) - 2026-06-18: Transmitted to Governor (Governor) - 2026-06-09: Senate passed in concurrence (Senate) - 2026-06-05: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar (06/09/2026) (Senate) - 2026-06-04: House read and passed (House) - 2026-06-02: Placed on House Calendar (06/04/2026) (House) - 2026-06-02: Committee recommends passage - 2026-05-29: Scheduled for consideration (06/02/2026) - 2026-05-21: Committee recommended measure be held for further study - 2026-05-15: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/21/2026) - 2026-05-06: Introduced, referred to House Labor (House) ## Bill text - H8524 - As Introduced, 2026-05-06: [HTML](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H8524.htm), [PDF](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H8524.pdf) ## Related bills - H8605: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS . (became law) - H8580: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT . (became law) - H8586: AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY . (became law) - H8525: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES . (became law) - H8506: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELATING TO CENTRAL FALLS PENSION PLAN . (became law) - H8437: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION . (became law) ## Sources - [H8524 - As Introduced (HTML)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H8524.htm) - [H8524 - As Introduced (PDF)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H8524.pdf) ## Related - [H8605: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8605-2026) - [H8580: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8580-2026) - [H8586: AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8586-2026) - [H8525: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8525-2026) - [H8506: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELATING TO CENTRAL FALLS PENSION PLAN .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8506-2026) - [H8437: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8437-2026) - [Rhode Island bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island/bills) - [Rhode Island state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8524-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).