Quote of the day
“It’ll put businesses out of business, bottom line, especially small businesses.”
Randi Thompson, state director of National Federation of Independent Business Nevada
Workers’ comp claims rising as Colorado reopens
As restaurants reopen and people return to their offices, more than 1,400 Colorado employees already have filed workers’ compensation claims for job-related infections. The majority of claims filed have so far not been successful, and as the state’s legislative session restarts, some advocates are trying make it easier for employees to receive benefits for COVID-19 contracted on the job. Colorado Sun
Arizona House seeks business protection from pandemic-related lawsuits
Arizona HB 2912 would immunize defendants against lawsuits against businesses, churches and schools over COVID-19 claims if their actions or inactions were merely negligent. East Valley Tribune (Tempe, Ariz.)
Nevada business interests push for COVID-19 liability protection
Nevada businesses are looking to the federal government for protection from customer and worker lawsuits should they contract COVID-19. An NFIB survey of its members nationally showed that 70 percent said increased liability is among their major concerns about re-opening. Nevada Independent
Frontliners must prove illness was job-related to receive workers’ comp
In New York, infected frontline staff, from healthcare employees to grocery store clerks, are being asked to prove they contracted COVID-19 on the job in order to receive workers’ compensation and death benefits. In some cases, insurance companies reportedly have asked nurses to identify which patient may have exposed them or when they had a breach of personal protective equipment. Gotham Gazette
Illinois House passes workers’ comp bill
Employees who caught COVID-19 on the job would be eligible for workers’ compensation, pursuant to an Illinois House bill on its way to the governor for signature. The measure also gives on-duty death benefits to police and firefighters who contract the disease on the job. WGLT
COVID-19’s attack on hospitality industry and workers’ comp claims
The pandemic has entered Florida’s workers’ compensation system, particularly within the hospitality industry, and it is going to be felt for months, and likely years, argues attorney Amy Siegel Oran of Kelley Kronenberg, Law.com/Daily Business Review