In an earlier post we wrote about rules put in place by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect health care workers caring for patients who are ill with viruses such as Ebola. Despite the creation of these rules, this past fall two nurses contracted the virus and became ill. Though they survived, both were away from work for a period of time recovering.
When a worker becomes ill in the course of doing his or her job, he or she may be able to secure workers’ compensation benefits to help cover the expenses that accrue while he or she cannot work. Recently a Pennsylvania-based managed care services provider indicated that it had developed a set of guidelines that among other things, sets return-to-work goals to a worker who finds that he or she is fighting the virus. It also addresses matters such as what, if any, precautions need to be taken when a worker has recovered and heads back to work.
In creating the guidelines, the managed care services agency called Genex used information from a variety of sources including:
- World Health Organization.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Clinical research.
- Actual experience.
It is fair to say that most people hope that these guidelines will not have to be referred to anytime soon. Should the occasion arise where they do need to be referred to, the ill worker may have questions regarding workers’ compensation benefits. To answer them, a lawyer who has experience in this field would likely be of assistance.
Source: Business Insurance, “Workers comp-specific Ebola care guidelines take sick worker's perspective,” Shelby Livingston, Dec 18, 2014