COVID Presumptions a Major Comp Theme in State Legislatures

The COVID-19 omicron variant appears to be waning and several states have lifted their mask mandates in recent weeks, but legislators are just getting started when it comes to the pandemic and workers compensation.

Since state lawmakers went back to work in January, more than a dozen pieces of new or revived pieces of legislation have been filed, and more are expected, legal experts say.

‘COVID-19 presumption legislation continues to be a hot topic for workers compensation,’ said Laura Kersey, executive director, regulatory and legislative analysis, for the Boca Raton, Florida-based National Council on Compensation Insurance.

‘Several states that enacted COVID-19 workers compensation presumption legislation in 2020 and 2021 are considering legislation to extend those presumptions to a later date and/or expand those presumptions to additional workers.’