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, 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.

“I am glad to see this agreement get worked out so quickly,” said Senate Finance Chairwoman Julie Rosen (R-Vernon Center). “These men and women are putting their lives in jeopardy to keep us safe, and we have to make sure they are taken care of if they end up getting sick, God forbid. This is terrific news.”

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.