5 Things You Should Know About Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Workers’ Compensation Law

If your workplace exposed you to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), here are the 5 things you need to know:

1. The employer cannot blame you for the exposure to the Coronavirus

California has a “no-fault” workers compensation system, which means that all you have to prove is that the exposure happened at the workplace. If a co-worker or a member of the public is infected, and then you become infected, you may have a workers’ compensation claim against your employer.

2. Exposure to infected people triggers your rights

Your workers’ compensation claim does necessarily depend on finding the person that infected you. If your work exposed you to an infected co-worker or the nature of your job exposes you to the public more than the average person, then you have probably met the criteria for a claim.

3. This Coronavirus is more than the flu!

Early data suggests that if you are exposed, your symptoms could be mild, or you may not have any symptoms are all. Doctors and scientists are racing to determine whether there may be long term effects of COVID-19 – and early finding indicates there may be, unfortunately. A professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Khalilah Gates, states that “some people’s bodies are producing way too much of an inflammatory response that’s harming critical organs like the lungs, kidneys, and heart.” A physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, Len Horovitz, expects that some infected people who had a severe reaction to COVID-19 may later experience heart arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, and inflammation of the heart muscle.

4. Document your potential claim right away

Potential exposure to COVID-19 increases with time as we live our lives outside of the workplace and this reality will be used by the employers’ insurance company to avoid responsibility for your claim. Therefore, workplace exposure should be reported to your employer immediately, preferably by filing a claim form for workers’ compensation benefits.

5. Protect your health and your potential claim

Fortunately, COVID-19 infection does not appear to be life-threatening for most people. However, since it is too early to tell if even mild cases can have long term health effects, it is better to be “safe than sorry.” Employers have workers compensation insurance for a reason – to protect their employees. If you have been exposed to COVID-19 at the workplace, the potential effects on your health can be serious. Protect your potential claim by acting as early as possible.