Key Takeaways
Impacted Employers: Nebraska employers
Summary: Nebraska has added protections for workers’ compensation records.
Effective Date: July 18, 2026
Next Steps: Train managers and human resources on the changes under the law.
The Details
Nebraska has enacted legislation (Legislative Bill 455) that codifies definitions and adds certain protections. The law is effective immediately.
Background
As background, certain information contained in workers' compensation injury reports could be publicly disclosed, raising privacy concerns for some employees.
Legislative Bill 455
Codified Workers’ Compensation Definitions
Among other things, Legislative Bill 455 defines confidential information as an employee’s name, address, telephone number and email address.
Workers’ Compensation Report Record Restrictions
Under the law, when a reportable injury is filed, the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court (NWCC) will send a letter to the affected employee, notifying the worker that:
- A report was filed; and
- The Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court cannot provide legal advice. An employee is entitled to contact an attorney when a claim is denied or the employee has questions regarding claim handling.
Additionally, under Legislative Bill 455:
- The employee’s report will not be shared or published with an employee's confidential (or other personally identifiable) information (with limited exceptions);
- Workers’ compensation reports will remain subject to public records requests (but employee confidential information and other personally identifiable information generally must be redacted before disclosure);
- An employee may waive confidentiality of their workers’ compensation report, which will disclose their confidential information; and
- The employee may choose to revoke their waiver.
See the text of the law for situations in which the NWCC may release reports.
Next Steps
- Train managers and human resources on the changes under the law.