"Those who are permanently injured at work are being grossly shortchanged by the current system," Perata said. "As California's cost of living continues to climb, the benefits paid out to the most seriously injured workers have fallen dramatically."
Schwarzenegger, who this year vetoed a higher percentage of bills sent to him than any governor in at least 40 years, also axed a measure by Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) that would have made it illegal for insurance companies to reduce disability awards to injured workers based on their gender, race or age.
Some workers had complained that insurers unfairly assumed, without medical evidence, that disability benefits paid to older women should be cut because that segment of the population is more likely to suffer from osteoporosis. Attorneys for injured workers maintained they've also had cases in which African American men who developed job-related hypertension had awards cut because of racial profiling.
Schwarzenegger said he supported the intent of Migden's bill, SB 1115, but called it unnecessary. He said current law already protected injured workers and he argued that Migden's measure, had it become law, could have created "ambiguities" that could have led to increased lawsuits.
Other vetoed workers' comp bills included SB 1338, which would have allowed certain workers to pick their own doctors for job-related injures rather than be required to go to company-designated clinics.
The wave of vetoes "was a complete wipeout," said Angie Wei, a lobbyist for the California Labor Federation.
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marc.lifsher@latimes.com
