COVID-19 Legal Representation
Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) and the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Act.
First responders are bravely leading the charge against COVID-19. Who will fight for them: Kerin Law where the focus is on caring.
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First responders are much more likely to come in contact with Covid-19 than any other employees. As the CDC instructs: “Unlike patient care in the controlled environment of a healthcare facility, care and transports by EMS present unique challenges because of the setting, enclosed space during transport, frequent need for rapid decision-making…”
The occupational illness statute in Connecticut includes any disease peculiar to the occupation in which the employee was engaged and due to causes in excess of the ordinary hazards of employment. The Connecticut Department of Public health defines occupational disease to include any illness which may be caused by inhalation or direct contact with substances causing disease.
While the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission has not yet addressed whether Covid-19 illness is compensable under our Act, it is clear that a colorable claim may be made by first responders, especially for EMS personnel police officers, firefighters and correctional officers who are particularly susceptible to this airborne virus due to their close emergency contact with members of the public.
Remarkably, the Connecticut workers’ compensation commissioners and many of the staff are still coming to work every day during this pandemic crisis, at great personal risk, in order to allow claimants to continue filing claims and prosecuting cases. If you or a loved one are a first responder affected by this disease, please call Kerin Law.
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Negligent Nursing Homes
Nursing Homes and long-term health care facilities owe their residents and the families of residents a duty of care to protect this most vulnerable sector of our society from exposure to COVID-19. It is precisely these older adults who are typically plagued with some underlying medical condition, who need the most protection because they have the greatest risk to serious illness or death if they are exposed to this virus.
Unfortunately, we have witnessed too many instances of nursing homes and long term care facilities not following the guidance that the Centers for Disease Control has issued to protect this most vulnerable population by strictly monitoring the health of their personnel and visitors, including having employees take their temperatures twice a day, requiring visitors to wear face masks or face covering, or in some instances, to forbid visitors entirely, and to assess their supplies of personal protective equipment, to initiate measures to get more supplies, and to quickly recognize and manage severe illness.
The Connecticut Mirror has reported that statewide one out of every 12 nursing home residents has tested positive for the disease. Further, the paper reported that there are some nursing homes such as one in Milford, CT that has a 61% infection rate among residents, yet other facilities have a zero percent infection rate.
If you believe your loved one has been exposed to COVID-19 because of a nursing home’s failure to safeguard the his or her health, please call Kerin Law.