COVID-19 Workers’ Comp Bill Becomes Law

(KNSI) – A bill that protects frontline workers exposed to COVID has become the first bill signed into law in the 2022 Minnesota Legislative session.

The bill, authored by St. Cloud Representative Dan Wolgamott, extends a presumption that in the event a public safety or healthcare worker contracts COVID-19, they did so in the line of duty and are covered by workers’ compensation.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the bill into law Friday. At the ceremony, Representative Wolgamott said he was proud to push the bill through the legislature. “Frontline workers have had our backs throughout this pandemic, and with the signing of this bill, the State of Minnesota has their backs too.”

The previous law allowing the presumption expired December 31, 2001. Wolgamott estimates the change left 183,000 frontline workers without a guarantee of compensation. Since the original law was passed, more than 22,500 workers have received compensation under the presumption, totaling over $19 million.