WHCA & LHWCA Late Reimbursement Interest (HR9520)

Current understanding

HR9520 would amend the War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA) and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) to require the federal government to pay interest on late reimbursements owed to insurance carriers and self-insured employers. For employers and carriers, the change would create a financial penalty on delayed federal payments, potentially improving cash flow and predictability; for the federal government (primarily DOL’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs), it would add a compliance cost tied to reimbursement timeliness. Status: introduced in the 119th Congress.

Evidence log

• 2026-06-23 — Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act: Quality Standards for Hearing Loss Testing: cross-connection with lhwca-hearing-loss-testing-standards: Both target LHWCA administration — one addresses evidentiary/testing standards for hearing loss claims, the other addresses interest on late federal reimbursements under the same program. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-06-29 — To amend the War Hazards Compensation Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act to require that the Federal Government pay interest on late reimbursements, and for other purposes.: cross-connection with federal-workers-compensation-integrity: Both are 119th Congress bills targeting DOL/OWCP-administered workers’ compensation programs (FECA vs. WHCA/LHWCA), signaling parallel congressional focus on program integrity and timeliness. (novelty: 2)

Open questions

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