Workers' compensation.

Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment. Existing law makes an employer liable only for the percentage of permanent disability directly caused by the injury arising out of and occurring in the course of employment. Existing law also requires that apportionment of permanent disability be based on causation, and requires the physician to determine the approximate percentage of the permanent disability that was caused by the direct result of injury arising out of and occurring in the course of employment and the approximate percentage of the permanent disability that was caused by other factors both before and subsequent to the industrial injury, including prior industrial injuries. Existing law requires a physician who prepares a report addressing the issue of permanent disability due to a claimed industrial injury to address in that report the issue of causation of the permanent disability. This bill would prohibit a physician from using race, gender, or national origin in determining the percentage of permanent disability that was caused by other factors before and subsequent to the industrial injury.