DWC – COVID-19 Resources and Workers’ Compensation

Governor Gavin Newsom on September 17, 2020, signed SB 1159 which codifies the COVID-19 presumption created by Executive Order N-62-20 and provides two new rebuttable presumptions that an employee’s COVID-19 illness is an occupational injury and therefore eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if specified criteria are met. Employees who are sick can stay home and be provided workers’ compensation benefits, thereby reducing the spread of the virus to others at work and in the community. The new law encourages employers to comply with all local health directives and guidance concerning safely reopening businesses to reduce risk of exposure and mitigate outbreaks in the workplace.

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