Budget 2026 Confirms the Real Problem—and the Policy Failure

Budget 2026 Confirms the Real Problem—and the Policy Failure

• News

January 14, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — The California 2026–27 Budget leaves no room for misdirection. The State of California has formally acknowledged that the central failure of the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF) is delay—years-long delays that deny permanently disabled workers timely access to benefits they are legally owed. The January […]

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Critics Say Assemblymember Liz Ortega Was Misled Into Supporting SIBTF Reforms That Targeted Disabled Californians

Critics Say Assemblymember Liz Ortega Was Misled Into Supporting SIBTF Reforms That Targeted Disabled Californians

• News

January 13, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California Assemblymember Liz Ortega, a prominent labor leader and Chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, has come under sustained criticism from disability advocates and workers’ compensation attorneys who argue that she was misled — or “hoodwinked,” in their words — into advancing policy proposals that

Critics Say Assemblymember Liz Ortega Was Misled Into Supporting SIBTF Reforms That Targeted Disabled Californians Read Post »

Court Sends Back 1970s Baseball Player’s Cumulative Trauma Claim to Determine Injury Date

Reform of SIBTF May Be on the Horizon—but Not Until After 2025

• SIBTF

April 09, 2025 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com – Discussions at the CWCI annual conference indicate that meaningful SIBTF reform 2025 is unlikely before the end of the year, despite rising liabilities and growing concerns over medical-legal expenditures. Experts emphasize that while reform is necessary to sustain the fund and support injured workers, legislative and

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SIBTF Pushes CA Employers’ Assessments Over $2 Billion in 2025

SIBTF Pushes CA Employers’ Assessments Over $2 Billion in 2025

• News

April 08, 2025 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com – California employers are facing an unprecedented $2 billion in costs as part of the SIBTF Assessment 2025, funding the state’s Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF). This sharp increase in the SIBTF Assessment 2025 is driven by a surge in claims and rising costs, putting significant

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California Law to AI: Legal Advisories Issued by Attorney General Bonta

California Bill Seeks to Reform Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF), Tighten Eligibility Requirements

• News

April 4, 2025 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — Assemblymember Liz Ortega has amended Assembly Bill 1329 to significantly alter California’s Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF), proposing its renaming to the Second-Chance Employer’s Risk Reduction Trust Fund. The SIBTF Reform Bill aims to reform the program that provides supplemental benefits to workers with pre-existing

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Check out our blog about A Guide to the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF)

A Guide to the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF)

• SIBTF

December 19, 2024 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — The Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF), established in 1945 at the end of World War II, encourages employers to hire returning disabled veterans. At the time, employers worried they might bear full financial responsibility if a previously disabled veteran faced re-injury on the job. The

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Rising Liabilities in California's SIBTF

Rising Liabilities in California’s SIBTF

• SIBTF

October 28, 2024 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — SIBTF liabilities are mounting as California’s Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund, a state-run program offering supplemental benefits to injured workers with preexisting conditions, faces increasing financial strain from surging claims. The SIBTF’s 2024 report shows annual payouts surged from $13.6 million in 2010 to $232 million

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