Governor Walz Signs Bill to Support First Responders, Workers on Front Lines of COVID-19

Statement

Governor Tim Walz has signed into law H.F. 1203, which extends workers' compensation benefits to frontline workers who contract COVID-19 on the job. H.F. 1203 is the first bill passed in Minnesota's 2022 legislative session.

"Every day throughout this pandemic, frontline workers have protected us and have saved lives," said Governor Walz. "This bipartisan bill--passed within days of the Legislature gaveling in for the 2022 session--makes it clear that in Minnesota, we are grateful for our first responders, take care of our workers, and give them both the benefits they deserve."

"I am so incredibly grateful for the frontline workers who have kept our communities safe and taken care of our loved ones during some of the darkest days," said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. "This is just one way of saying thank you to all the Minnesotans who risked their own health to care for others."

H.F. 1203 reinstates presumptive eligibility for workers' compensation for frontline workers including doctors and nurses, firefighters, paramedics, police, long-term care workers, home health workers, and correctional officers by reinstating, through January 13, 2023, a presumption that a COVID-19 infection is work-related, unless the employer is able to prove that infection happened elsewhere. The previous presumption expired December 31, 2021.

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