An Act To Extend the Notice of Injury Period in the Maine Workers' Compensation Act of 1992
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0947
Committee: Labor and Housing
Sponsors: BELLOWS, SYLVESTER, JACKSON, MIRAMANT, HANDY, PEOPLES, RYKERSON
Amends: 39-A MRSA §301

Legislative Document
No. 947
S.P. 276
In Senate, February 21, 2019
An Act To Extend the Notice of Injury Period in the Maine 
Workers' Compensation Act of 1992
Reference to the Committee on Labor and Housing suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BELLOWS of Kennebec.
Cosponsored by Representative SYLVESTER of Portland and
Senators: President JACKSON of Aroostook, MIRAMANT of Knox, Representatives: 
HANDY of Lewiston, PEOPLES of Westbrook, RYKERSON of Kittery.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  39-A MRSA §301, as amended by PL 2011, c. 647, §16, is further 
amended to read:
§301.  Notice of injury
 For claims for which the date of injury is prior to January 1, 2013, proceedings for 
compensation under this Act, except as provided, may not be maintained unless a notice 
of the injury is given within 90 days after the date of injury.  For claims for which the 
date of injury is on or after January 1, 2013 and prior to January 1, 2020, proceedings for 
compensation under this Act, except as provided, may not be maintained unless a notice 
of the injury is given within 30 days after the date of injury.  For claims for which the 
date of injury is on or after January 1, 2020, proceedings for compensation under this Act, 
except as provided, may not be maintained unless a notice of the injury is given within 
days after the date of injury.  The notice must include the time, place, cause and 
nature of the injury, together with the name and address of the injured employee.  The 
notice must be given by the injured employee or by a person in the employee's behalf, or, 
in the event of the employee's death, by the employee's legal representatives, or by a 
dependent or by a person in behalf of either.
The notice must be given to the employer, or to one employer if there are more 
employers than one; or, if the employer is a corporation, to any official of the 
corporation; or to any employee designated by the employer as one to whom reports of 
accidents to employees should be made. It may be given to the general superintendent or 
to the supervisor in charge of the particular work being done by the employee at the time 
of the injury.  Notice may be given to any doctor, nurse or other emergency medical 
personnel employed by the employer for the treatment of employee injuries and on duty 
at the work site.  If the employee is self-employed, notice must be given to the insurance 
carrier or to the insurance carrier's agent or agency with which the employer normally 
does business.
SUMMARY
Under current law governing workers' compensation, an employee must provide 
notice of injury to an employer within 30 days after the date of injury. This bill provides 
that, for claims for which the date of injury is on or after January 1, 2020, an employee 
must provide to the employer notice of the injury within 180 days after the date of injury.