Nebraska introduces COVID-19 presumption bill
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Nebraska lawmakers on Wednesday introduced legislation to make COVID-19 a compensable illness for essential workers.
L.B. 441 names 10 categories of workers, including first responders and health care workers, who would qualify for the presumption, which is rebuttable if an employer can “affirmatively” prove that the employee contracted COVID-19 outside of the workplace.
The bill also stipulates that “under no circumstances shall any COVID-19 case … increase or adversely affect any employer's workers' compensation insurance premium, experience rating, or modification.”
The bill was referred to the Business and Labor Committee.
Lawmakers also introduced L.B. 667, which would make workers compensation injury reports “confidential and not open to public inspection or copying for a period of sixty days from the date of filing” except as necessary for the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court to administer and enforce other provisions of the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act, or as requested by parties involved in the claim, including the injured worker, insurers, employers and attorneys.
More insurance and workers compensation news on the coronavirus crisis here.
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