Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding medical examinations of an injured employee.

The purpose of this legislation is to protect the integrity and validity of psychological and neuropsychological independent medical examinations (IMEs) in workers’ compensation cases. Current Idaho law allows for third-party observers (TPOs) and audio recording of IMEs, including neuropsychological testing. However, research and industry standards indicate that the presence of TPOs and unrestricted recordings can compromise the accuracy and reliability of such evaluations. This bill amends Section 72-433, Idaho Code, to clarify that while an injured employee retains the right to have an audio recording of their examination, this provision **shall not apply to the testing portion of psychological, neuropsychological, or psychiatric evaluations.** The presence of TPOs or unrestricted recordings during these testing procedures can undermine the scientific integrity of assessments, allow for test security breaches, and introduce variability that renders results unreliable. By implementing these changes, this legislation aligns Idaho law with nationally recognized best practices in psychology and neuropsychology while maintaining fairness in workers’ compensation cases.