The Minnesota Senate today took swift action to protect workers who contract COVID-19 while working on the front lines of the pandemic by making them eligible for workers’ compensation benefits without having to prove they were infected on the job. Under the legislation, which passed with unanimous support, workers in certain job classifications are presumed to have an occupational disease if they contract COVID-19, thereby automatically making them eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
“This was a critically important agreement to protect the health and safety of the workers putting themselves in harm’s way during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Senate President Jeremy Miller (R-Winona), who brokered the agreement. “The only way this was going to get done was by bringing together labor unions and business groups, Democrats and Republicans. The spirit of compromise is what led to this important breakthrough. Because of everyone’s willingness to work together, nurses, firefighters, police officers, paramedics, health care providers, personal care attendants, correctional officers, and others will know that if they contract COVID-19 they will be supported. When these folks go to work to help keep Minnesotans safe, this is one less thing they have to worry about.”
The legislation covers the following workers:
- Licensed peace officers
- Firefighters
- Paramedics
- Nurses
- Healthcare workers
- Corrections officers and security counselors employed by the state or a political subdivision at a corrections, detention, or secure treatment facility
- Emergency medical technicians
- Healthcare providers, nurses, and assistive employees in a health care, home care, or long-term care setting
- Workers who are required to provide childcare to first responders and health care workers under the governor’s previous executive orders.