During these unprecedented times several questions have come up throughout our law firm regarding COVID-19 in the workplace. It is unfortunate COVID-19 took our country by surprise, however with a little bit of knowledge and general facts we can try to help give you some peace of mind as we navigate through these trying times.
When it comes to the correlation of workers’ compensation and the novel Coronavirus known as COVID-19, Navarro Law Firm has your questions covered!
For general information regarding COVID-19 and workers’ compensation see below.
- If you are unable to do your usual job because you were exposed to and contracted COVID-19 during the regular course of your work, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
- Benefits include temporary disability (TD) payments, which begin when your doctor says you can’t do your usual work for more than three days or you are hospitalized overnight. You may be entitled to TD for up to 104 weeks. TD stops when you return to work, your doctor releases you for work, or your doctor says your illness has improved as much as it’s going to.
- TD generally pays two-thirds of the gross wages you lose while you are recovering from a work-related illness or injury, up to maximum weekly amount set by law.
- In addition, eligible employees are entitled to medical treatment and additional payments if a doctor determines you suffered a permanent disability because of the illness.
- Essential employees, such as healthcare workers, grocery store checkers, and public safety employees, are at greater risk for exposure and contracting COVID-19.