Citation: Stat. - Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-42-124

Workers' Compensation

Article 42. Benefits (Refs & Annos)

§ 8-42-124. Assignability and exemption of claims--payment to employers-- when

(1) Except for amounts due under court-ordered support or for a judgment for a debt for fraudulently obtained public assistance, fraudulently obtained overpayments of public assistance, or excess public assistance paid for which the recipient was ineligible, claims for compensation or benefits due, or any proceeds thereof, under articles 40 to 47 of this title shall not be assigned, released, or commuted except as provided in said articles and shall be exempt from all claims of creditors and from levy, execution, and attachment or other remedy or recovery or collection of a debt, which exemption may not be waived.

(2) The power given in any power of attorney or other authority from any injured employee or the dependents of any killed employee purporting to authorize any other person to receive, be paid, or receipt for any compensation benefits awarded any such claimant shall be wholly void and illegal and of no force and effect; except that:

(a) Any employer who is subject to the provisions of articles 40 to 47 of this title and who, by separate agreement, working agreement, contract of hire, or any other procedure, continues to pay a sum in excess of the temporary total disability benefits prescribed by articles 40 to 47 of this title to any employee temporarily disabled as a result of any injury arising out of and in the course of such employee's employment and has not charged the employee with any earned vacation leave, sick leave, or other similar benefits shall be reimbursed if insured by an insurance carrier or shall take credit if self-insured to the extent of all moneys that such employee may be eligible to receive as compensation or benefits for temporary partial or temporary total disability under the provisions of said articles, subject to the approval of the director. If the employee is injured while under a fixed duration contract of employment, all salary and wages paid pursuant to that contract shall be prorated over the duration of the contract in determining whether in any given week the employer paid a sum in excess of the temporary total disability benefit.

(b) This subsection (2) shall not apply to an attorney licensed to practice law in this state and acting in accordance with a power of attorney given by the claimant solely for the purpose of distributing funds pursuant to an admission of liability or an order of the division.

(3) Such payments shall be paid directly to the employer during the period of time that such employer continues to pay a sum in excess of the temporary total disability benefits prescribed by articles 40 to 47 of this title and has not charged any earned vacation leave, sick leave, or other similar benefits to any employee so disabled and for so long as such employee is eligible for temporary disability benefits under the provisions of articles 40 to 47 of this title. The payment of such moneys to an employer shall constitute the payment of compensation or benefits to the employee in accordance with the provisions of section 8-42-103.

(4) When the payment by an employer to any such disabled employee is reduced to a sum equal to or less than the temporary total disability benefits prescribed by articles 40 to 47 of this title, or when the employer has charged the employee with any earned vacation leave, sick leave, or other similar benefits for any reason, the rights of the employee to receive direct payment of any award for temporary partial or temporary total disability that said employee may be entitled to on and after the effective date of such reduction shall be reinstated in accordance with the provisions of articles 40 to 47 of this title.

(5) Any employer subject to the provisions of articles 40 to 47 of this title and otherwise qualifying for direct payment of employee benefits as provided in this section shall notify the division and the insurance carrier of such employer's eligibility to receive such moneys. The director shall approve such direct payment after the filing of such information by the employer as the director may require.

(6) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit in any way the right of any employee to full payment of any award which may be granted to said employee for permanent partial or permanent total disability under the provisions of articles 40 to 47 of this title; except that benefits for permanent total disability and permanent partial disability shall be subject to wage assignment or income assignment as wages pursuant to section 14-14-102 (9), C.R.S., and subject to garnishment as earnings pursuant to section 13-54.5-101 (2) (b), C.R.S., and subject to administrative lien and attachment pursuant to section 26-13-122, C.R.S., for purposes of enforcement of court-ordered child support and subject to garnishment as earnings pursuant to sections 13-54-104 (1) (b) (IV) and 13-54.5-101 (2) (d), C.R.S., for purposes of enforcement of a judgment for a debt for fraudulently obtained public assistance, fraudulently obtained overpayments of public assistance, or excess public assistance paid for which the recipient was ineligible.

(7) Following an injury, any injured employee may authorize in writing the continuation of any payroll deduction which the employee had authorized or could have authorized before the injury, which authorization shall be legal and may be honored by the employer to the extent that proceeds of compensation of claims are available to the employer or are made available to the employer by the employer's insurance carrier for this purpose until the authorization is revoked in writing by the injured employee.

(8) If any employer who pays to an injured employee a sum in excess of the temporary total disability benefits prescribed by articles 40 to 47 of this title and who has not charged the employee with any earned vacation leave, sick leave, or other similar benefits seeks to have assigned the compensation benefits otherwise due the injured employee as provided in this section, the employer shall notify the employee of said request at the same time the employer makes the request of the director or insurance carrier or both.