This is the second post in a series addressing guidance for employers on operating safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.  This post will examine information provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  As a reminder, the guidance of each agency needs to be considered and integrated into any reopening plan.  That reopening plan
Read the full article…

  On May 21, 2020, the Illinois Legislature amended the Illinois Workers’ Occupational Diseases Act to provide a rebuttable presumption in favor of compensability for First Responders and Front-Line workers who contract COVID-19.  The bill awaits the governor’s signature.  As we outlined last week, this amendment’s scope is narrower than the IWCC’s short-lived rule amendment,
Read the full article…

  All 50 states are moving towards some level of reopening businesses following closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Employers naturally have a number of questions and concerns relating to how to safely bring their employees and customers back into the workplace in compliance with existing guidance.  Employers should develop written return-to-work plans that comply
Read the full article…

  Last month, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) withdrew its April 16th emergency rule creating a rebuttable presumption in favor of compensability for First Responders or Front-Line Workers who contract COVID-19.  The withdrawal of the rule came after the Sangamon County Circuit Court granted the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) and Illinois Retail Merchants Association
Read the full article…

  Workers’ compensation COVID-19 exposure claims involving Medicare beneficiaries may need to be reported to the Benefits Coordination and Recovery Center under Section 111 mandatory reporting. Given the various types of illnesses that may stem from a COVID-19 infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued official diagnosis coding guidance on February 20,
Read the full article…