We are living in unprecedented times involving the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19). Many workers across the country are now working from home or have been laid off as most states have issued stay-at-home orders. The order in Illinois was initially expected to expire on April 7 but has since been extended until at least April 30 as the number of Coronavirus cases has continued to increase across the state with 87 of the 102 counties reporting 23,247 confirmed cases and 868 deaths as of April 14, 2020.
Included in these Coronavirus-positive cases are the employees deemed “essential workers”, including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare personnel, police and fire personnel, corrections officers, grocery store employees, postal workers, and food producers. These employees are on the front lines and at obvious risk for exposure to the Coronavirus every time they are on the clock.
Governor J.B. Pritzker announced Monday that essential workers in Illinois who believe that they contracted the Coronavirus while on the job will now automatically be covered by Illinois’ worker’s compensation program as an addition to the governor’s unemployment efforts.
Typically, under normal conditions, a worker who suffers an illness or injury while working must prove that their illness or injury was a direct result of their duties. Under Gov. Pritzker’s emergency ruling, any front-line or essential worker who states that they have contracted the Coronavirus because of their job will be presumed to be telling the truth and thus will be ensured workers compensation benefits for a limit of up to 150-days.
Under the ruling, three categories of employees could be entitled to worker’s compensation. These include:
- Employees in the healthcare field – Included in this category would be doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, assistant nurses, nursing home and home health aides, office staff, lab techs, and any other workers in doctor’s offices, clinics, and hospitals.
- Emergency responders – Firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and paramedics.
- Other employees – This includes a wide variety of industries such as workers in grocery stores and pharmacies, food, beverage, and cannabis production and agriculture, employees that provide charitable and social services, gas station and transportation industries, financial institutions, hardware supply stores, education industries, laundry industries, critical trades, mail and logistics services, supplies and services to set-up work from home opportunities, daycare services for exempted employees, residential facilities and services, hotels and motels, and funeral services.
Under these challenging times, the Illinois Workers Compensation Act will likely provide for Coronavirus-related medical expenses, two-thirds of an employee’s salary as they recover, and temporary or permanent disability should that occur.
In addition to unemployment benefits and worker’s compensation, the city of Chicago has begun providing free resources to first-responders, essential workers, and their families. This includes providing personal protective equipment (PPE), free mental health services, individual and group therapy, hotel-based housing to decrease exposure to the immediate families of those on the front lines, free access to childcare services, and transportation discounts.
Gov. Pritzker does state, though, that he and his team are eyeing a return to normalcy and that there will “likely be adjustments to the orders that we’ve put in place”, especially as the disease curve is leveled and more industries are being opened up.
If you or a loved one is an essential employee and has questions regarding the resources available to you during the Coronavirus pandemic, the lawyers of America’s Consumer Lawyer can help answer those questions for your particular case.
Helping our clients is about counseling, advocating, and ultimately solving problems. With years of experience successfully representing the people, not the powerful, we will take care of the insurance adjusters, your medical bills, your property damage, and your lost wages, and monitor your treatment so you can focus on healing and getting your life back to normal. Our unique formula has earned us over 1,000 outstanding client reviews on our website, an A+ BBB rating, and over 135 five-star reviews on Google. Call 888-572-0176, e-mail us at michael@agrusslawfirm.com or schedule a meeting with us here. We’re here 24/7.
