HB 1543: Brad Goodwin Testifies at Virginia General Assembly

Brad Goodwin Speaks about how HB 1543 would Impact Worker’s Compensation Laws

On February 6, 2018, Brad Goodwin appeared before the General Assembly of Virginia’s legislative session and spoke in support of HB 1543.  The proposal is designed to extend the statute of limitations for injured workers to file claims. Currently, there are situations where an employer is voluntarily paying benefits and the injured worker does not realize that his claim is unprotected because a claim has not yet been filed.  This amendment would prevent injured workers from losing a potential claim because they were led to believe by their employers that they did not need to file.  Many states across the country already have similar laws, but Virginia does not at this time.  Mr. Goodwin spoke in favor of the bill and provided arguments and examples of why it is so important that Virginia enact this amendment to the workers’ compensation laws to protect the rights of injured workers.

ReidGoodwin has also been following SB 895 which would raise the ceiling for punitive damages from $350,000 to $500,000 after July 1, 2018. We are excited to have the opportunity to make an impact on our community and state.

We urge you to contact your state legislators and talk to them about the bills that have been introduced during the 2018 session. If you want to learn more about how HB 1543 or SB 895 are progressing through the General Assembly, you can check out the Virginia’s Legislative Information System!