Maryland lawmakers on Monday presented carryover legislation that would allow licensed certified social workers to diagnose injured workers with mental impairments.

HB 694, which was scheduled for a hearing March 1, would authorize a licensed certified social worker to “register as a rehabilitation practitioner and would authorize such a social worker to provide evaluation services for workers' compensation claims related to permanent impairments involving a behavioral or mental disorder.”

The bill is a carryover of HB 1164.

Lawmakers in New York are considering similar legislation that would permit licensed social workers to aid in treating injured workers. AB 852, introduced Wednesday, states that the treatment by a licensed clinical social worker for a compensable injury would be available upon the referral of an authorized physician.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom last year enacted SB 1002, allowing carriers and self-insured employers in the Golden State to add licensed clinical social workers to their medical provider networks. Social workers are not authorized to determine disability, and they can only treat or evaluate an injured worker with a physician referral.

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