A frequent question asked at our webinars is what liability employers might face from claims that employees contracted COVID-19 at work. Governor Newsom provided clarity on that question today.

Newsom issued Executive Order N-62-20, creating a rebuttable presumption that an employee’s COVID-19-related illness arose out of the course of employment for workers’ compensation purposes if the employee tests positive or is diagnosed “within 14 days after a day that the employee performed labor or services at the employee’s place of employment at the employer’s direction.” The presumption does not apply if the employee worked from home.

To qualify, the employee must either (1) test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days after performing work; or (2) be diagnosed with COVID-19 by a licensed physician within 14 days after performing work and have that diagnosis confirmed by further testing within 30 days of the diagnosis. Additionally, the date of injury must occur between March 19, 2020, and July 5, 2020.

For current employees, the practical reality of this Executive Order is that any test-confirmed COVID-19 illness will be presumptively compensable by workers’ compensation.

The Executive Order provides that the presumption “is disputable and may be controverted by other evidence.” However, if a claim is not rejected within 30 days of filing, the presumption can only be rebutted by evidence discovered subsequent to the 30-day period.

Employees claiming COVID-19-related illness are eligible for all workers’ compensation benefits, including “full hospital, surgical, medical treatment, disability indemnity, and death benefits.” There is no waiting period for temporary disability benefits, but an employee entitled to COVID-19 paid sick leave must exhaust that paid leave first.

Governor Newsom’s messaging on reopening California has emphasized a need to created an “Expanded Workforce Safety Net.”  This new Executive Order is a significant step in that direction.