The coronavirus outbreak has impacted jobs all over the nation. The unemployment rate has skyrocketed, and many employees were furloughed or asked to perform their roles from home.
But what about essential employees, such as delivery workers and health care providers? Countless individuals have continued to work in environments that may result in exposure to COVID-19. As the state of Indiana works to re-open businesses, many employees will return to roles that could put them at risk of exposure.
Indiana Worker’s Compensation
Will worker’s compensation be available to Hoosiers who get sick due to their work? After all, Indiana has laws that are intended to provide workers with prompt medical care when injuries or illness occur due to work. These laws also provide temporary disability payments to replace wages for injured or ill workers.
However, in order to qualify for worker’s compensation, you need to be able to prove that you were injured or made ill by something related to your work. Since affected individuals may not have symptoms associated with COVID-19 for several days after exposure, it is hard to prove where and when they contracted the virus.
Indiana Code 22-3-7-10 states: “A disease arises out of the employment only if there is apparent to the rational mind, upon consideration of all of the circumstances, a direct causal connection between the conditions under which the work is performed and the occupational disease, and which can be seen to have followed as a natural incident of the work as a result of the exposure occasioned by the nature of the employment, and which can be fairly traced to the employment as the proximate cause, and which does not come from a hazard to which workers would have been equally exposed outside of the employment.”
You may conclude that you got sick on the job due to your line of work, but it’s difficult to prove. Your employer or its insurance company may dispute your claim. The number of worker’s compensations claims related to COVID-19 will continue to rise, and so will insurance efforts to dispute these claims. If you believe that you or a loved one was exposed to COVID-19 through your work, it is important to connect with an experienced attorney who can help you.
If you or someone you love has been injured at your place of work, contact the Schuerman Law office today. Schuerman Law has been working with personal injury for over 40 years. John Schuerman is a compassionate advocate for individuals who have been injured as well as for their families. He will aggressively fight for full compensation for injury victims’ claims. Schuerman Law has evening and weekend appointments available in addition to home and hospital visits. Schedule a free consultation today by calling 1-800-274-0045.
