101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB2480

 

Introduced , by Rep. Jay Hoffman

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
820 ILCS 305/6  from Ch. 48, par. 138.6
820 ILCS 310/1  from Ch. 48, par. 172.36
820 ILCS 310/7  from Ch. 48, par. 172.42

    Amends the Workers' Compensation Act and the Workers' Occupational Diseases Act. Includes Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the list of ailments giving rise to a rebuttable presumption that the ailment arose out of employment of firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics. Provides that the presumption is intended to shift the burden of proof and requires clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption. Contains applicability provisions. Excludes firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics from certain limitations on recovery for hearing loss. Effective immediately.


LRB101 08701 JLS 53786 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB2480LRB101 08701 JLS 53786 b

1    AN ACT concerning employment.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Workers' Compensation Act is amended by
5changing Section 6 as follows:
 
6    (820 ILCS 305/6)  (from Ch. 48, par. 138.6)
7    Sec. 6. (a) Every employer within the provisions of this
8Act, shall, under the rules and regulations prescribed by the
9Commission, post printed notices in their respective places of
10employment in such number and at such places as may be
11determined by the Commission, containing such information
12relative to this Act as in the judgment of the Commission may
13be necessary to aid employees to safeguard their rights under
14this Act in event of injury.
15    In addition thereto, the employer shall post in a
16conspicuous place on the place of the employment a printed or
17typewritten notice stating whether he is insured or whether he
18has qualified and is operating as a self-insured employer. In
19the event the employer is insured, the notice shall state the
20name and address of his insurance carrier, the number of the
21insurance policy, its effective date and the date of
22termination. In the event of the termination of the policy for
23any reason prior to the termination date stated, the posted

 

 

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1notice shall promptly be corrected accordingly. In the event
2the employer is operating as a self-insured employer the notice
3shall state the name and address of the company, if any,
4servicing the compensation payments of the employer, and the
5name and address of the person in charge of making compensation
6payments.
7    (b) Every employer subject to this Act shall maintain
8accurate records of work-related deaths, injuries and illness
9other than minor injuries requiring only first aid treatment
10and which do not involve medical treatment, loss of
11consciousness, restriction of work or motion, or transfer to
12another job and file with the Commission, in writing, a report
13of all accidental deaths, injuries and illnesses arising out of
14and in the course of the employment resulting in the loss of
15more than 3 scheduled work days. In the case of death such
16report shall be made no later than 2 working days following the
17accidental death. In all other cases such report shall be made
18between the 15th and 25th of each month unless required to be
19made sooner by rule of the Commission. In case the injury
20results in permanent disability, a further report shall be made
21as soon as it is determined that such permanent disability has
22resulted or will result from the injury. All reports shall
23state the date of the injury, including the time of day or
24night, the nature of the employer's business, the name,
25address, age, sex, conjugal condition of the injured person,
26the specific occupation of the injured person, the direct cause

 

 

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1of the injury and the nature of the accident, the character of
2the injury, the length of disability, and in case of death the
3length of disability before death, the wages of the injured
4person, whether compensation has been paid to the injured
5person, or to his or her legal representative or his heirs or
6next of kin, the amount of compensation paid, the amount paid
7for physicians', surgeons' and hospital bills, and by whom
8paid, and the amount paid for funeral or burial expenses if
9known. The reports shall be made on forms and in the manner as
10prescribed by the Commission and shall contain such further
11information as the Commission shall deem necessary and require.
12The making of these reports releases the employer from making
13such reports to any other officer of the State and shall
14satisfy the reporting provisions as contained in the Safety
15Inspection and Education Act, the Health and Safety Act, and
16the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The reports filed with
17the Commission pursuant to this Section shall be made available
18by the Commission to the Director of Labor or his
19representatives and to all other departments of the State of
20Illinois which shall require such information for the proper
21discharge of their official duties. Failure to file with the
22Commission any of the reports required in this Section is a
23petty offense.
24    Except as provided in this paragraph, all reports filed
25hereunder shall be confidential and any person having access to
26such records filed with the Illinois Workers' Compensation

 

 

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1Commission as herein required, who shall release any
2information therein contained including the names or otherwise
3identify any persons sustaining injuries or disabilities, or
4give access to such information to any unauthorized person,
5shall be subject to discipline or discharge, and in addition
6shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. The Commission shall
7compile and distribute to interested persons aggregate
8statistics, taken from the reports filed hereunder. The
9aggregate statistics shall not give the names or otherwise
10identify persons sustaining injuries or disabilities or the
11employer of any injured person or person with a disability.
12    (c) Notice of the accident shall be given to the employer
13as soon as practicable, but not later than 45 days after the
14accident. Provided:
15        (1) In case of the legal disability of the employee or
16    any dependent of a deceased employee who may be entitled to
17    compensation under the provisions of this Act, the
18    limitations of time by this Act provided do not begin to
19    run against such person under legal disability until a
20    guardian has been appointed.
21        (2) In cases of injuries sustained by exposure to
22    radiological materials or equipment, notice shall be given
23    to the employer within 90 days subsequent to the time that
24    the employee knows or suspects that he has received an
25    excessive dose of radiation.
26    No defect or inaccuracy of such notice shall be a bar to

 

 

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1the maintenance of proceedings on arbitration or otherwise by
2the employee unless the employer proves that he is unduly
3prejudiced in such proceedings by such defect or inaccuracy.
4    Notice of the accident shall give the approximate date and
5place of the accident, if known, and may be given orally or in
6writing.
7    (d) Every employer shall notify each injured employee who
8has been granted compensation under the provisions of Section 8
9of this Act of his rights to rehabilitation services and advise
10him of the locations of available public rehabilitation centers
11and any other such services of which the employer has
12knowledge.
13    In any case, other than one where the injury was caused by
14exposure to radiological materials or equipment or asbestos
15unless the application for compensation is filed with the
16Commission within 3 years after the date of the accident, where
17no compensation has been paid, or within 2 years after the date
18of the last payment of compensation, where any has been paid,
19whichever shall be later, the right to file such application
20shall be barred.
21    In any case of injury caused by exposure to radiological
22materials or equipment or asbestos, unless application for
23compensation is filed with the Commission within 25 years after
24the last day that the employee was employed in an environment
25of hazardous radiological activity or asbestos, the right to
26file such application shall be barred.

 

 

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1    If in any case except one where the injury was caused by
2exposure to radiological materials or equipment or asbestos,
3the accidental injury results in death application for
4compensation for death may be filed with the Commission within
53 years after the date of death where no compensation has been
6paid or within 2 years after the date of the last payment of
7compensation where any has been paid, whichever shall be later,
8but not thereafter.
9    If an accidental injury caused by exposure to radiological
10material or equipment or asbestos results in death within 25
11years after the last day that the employee was so exposed
12application for compensation for death may be filed with the
13Commission within 3 years after the date of death, where no
14compensation has been paid, or within 2 years after the date of
15the last payment of compensation where any has been paid,
16whichever shall be later, but not thereafter.
17    (e) Any contract or agreement made by any employer or his
18agent or attorney with any employee or any other beneficiary of
19any claim under the provisions of this Act within 7 days after
20the injury shall be presumed to be fraudulent.
21    (f) Any condition or impairment of health of an employee
22employed as a firefighter, emergency medical technician (EMT),
23emergency medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), advanced
24emergency medical technician (A-EMT), or paramedic which
25results directly or indirectly from any bloodborne pathogen,
26lung or respiratory disease or condition, heart or vascular

 

 

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1disease or condition, hypertension, tuberculosis,
2Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or cancer
3resulting in any disability (temporary, permanent, total, or
4partial) to the employee shall be rebuttably presumed to arise
5out of and in the course of the employee's firefighting, EMT,
6or paramedic employment and, further, shall be rebuttably
7presumed to be causally connected to the hazards or exposures
8of the employment. This presumption shall also apply to any
9hernia or hearing loss suffered by an employee employed as a
10firefighter, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or paramedic. However, this
11presumption shall not apply to any employee who has been
12employed as a firefighter, EMT, or paramedic for less than 5
13years at the time he or she files an Application for Adjustment
14of Claim concerning this condition or impairment with the
15Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. The rebuttable
16presumption established under this subsection is intended to be
17a strong presumption supported by compelling policy
18considerations to compensate the victims who succumb to the
19conditions and disabilities covered in this subsection and
20their families. This presumption is intended to shift the
21burden of proof to the employing entity. Any party attacking
22the presumption must establish by clear and convincing evidence
23an independent and non-work related cause for the condition or
24disability covered by this subsection and prove that no aspect
25of the employment contributed to the condition. Further, the
26rebuttable presumption relating to hearing loss cannot be

 

 

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1overcome with evidence allegedly showing that the injured
2employee did not meet the exposure thresholds listed in
3subdivisions (e) and (f) of Section 8. The rebuttable
4presumption established under this subsection, however, does
5not apply to an emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency
6medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), advanced emergency
7medical technician (A-EMT), or paramedic employed by a private
8employer if the employee spends the preponderance of his or her
9work time for that employer engaged in medical transfers
10between medical care facilities or non-emergency medical
11transfers to or from medical care facilities. The changes made
12to this subsection by Public Act 98-291 shall be narrowly
13construed. The Finding and Decision of the Illinois Workers'
14Compensation Commission under only the rebuttable presumption
15provision of this subsection shall not be admissible or be
16deemed res judicata in any disability claim under the Illinois
17Pension Code arising out of the same medical condition;
18however, this sentence makes no change to the law set forth in
19Krohe v. City of Bloomington, 204 Ill.2d 392. The changes made
20by this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly are
21intended to apply to matters arising on and after January 1,
222008.
23(Source: P.A. 98-291, eff. 1-1-14; 98-874, eff. 1-1-15; 98-973,
24eff. 8-15-14; 99-78, eff. 7-20-15; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)
 
25    Section 10. The Workers' Occupational Diseases Act is

 

 

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1amended by changing Sections 1 and 7 as follows:
 
2    (820 ILCS 310/1)  (from Ch. 48, par. 172.36)
3    Sec. 1. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the
4"Workers' Occupational Diseases Act".
5    (a) The term "employer" as used in this Act shall be
6construed to be:
7        1. The State and each county, city, town, township,
8    incorporated village, school district, body politic, or
9    municipal corporation therein.
10        2. Every person, firm, public or private corporation,
11    including hospitals, public service, eleemosynary,
12    religious or charitable corporations or associations, who
13    has any person in service or under any contract for hire,
14    express or implied, oral or written.
15        3. Where an employer operating under and subject to the
16    provisions of this Act loans an employee to another such
17    employer and such loaned employee sustains a compensable
18    occupational disease in the employment of such borrowing
19    employer and where such borrowing employer does not provide
20    or pay the benefits or payments due such employee, such
21    loaning employer shall be liable to provide or pay all
22    benefits or payments due such employee under this Act and
23    as to such employee the liability of such loaning and
24    borrowing employers shall be joint and several, provided
25    that such loaning employer shall in the absence of

 

 

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1    agreement to the contrary be entitled to receive from such
2    borrowing employer full reimbursement for all sums paid or
3    incurred pursuant to this paragraph together with
4    reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses in any hearings
5    before the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission or in
6    any action to secure such reimbursement. Where any benefit
7    is provided or paid by such loaning employer, the employee
8    shall have the duty of rendering reasonable co-operation in
9    any hearings, trials or proceedings in the case, including
10    such proceedings for reimbursement.
11        Where an employee files an Application for Adjustment
12    of Claim with the Illinois Workers' Compensation
13    Commission alleging that his or her claim is covered by the
14    provisions of the preceding paragraph, and joining both the
15    alleged loaning and borrowing employers, they and each of
16    them, upon written demand by the employee and within 7 days
17    after receipt of such demand, shall have the duty of filing
18    with the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission a
19    written admission or denial of the allegation that the
20    claim is covered by the provisions of the preceding
21    paragraph and in default of such filing or if any such
22    denial be ultimately determined not to have been bona fide
23    then the provisions of Paragraph K of Section 19 of this
24    Act shall apply.
25        An employer whose business or enterprise or a
26    substantial part thereof consists of hiring, procuring or

 

 

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1    furnishing employees to or for other employers operating
2    under and subject to the provisions of this Act for the
3    performance of the work of such other employers and who
4    pays such employees their salary or wage notwithstanding
5    that they are doing the work of such other employers shall
6    be deemed a loaning employer within the meaning and
7    provisions of this Section.
8    (b) The term "employee" as used in this Act, shall be
9construed to mean:
10        1. Every person in the service of the State, county,
11    city, town, township, incorporated village or school
12    district, body politic or municipal corporation therein,
13    whether by election, appointment or contract of hire,
14    express or implied, oral or written, including any official
15    of the State, or of any county, city, town, township,
16    incorporated village, school district, body politic or
17    municipal corporation therein and except any duly
18    appointed member of the fire department in any city whose
19    population exceeds 500,000 according to the last Federal or
20    State census, and except any member of a fire insurance
21    patrol maintained by a board of underwriters in this State.
22    One employed by a contractor who has contracted with the
23    State, or a county, city, town, township, incorporated
24    village, school district, body politic or municipal
25    corporation therein, through its representatives, shall
26    not be considered as an employee of the State, county,

 

 

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1    city, town, township, incorporated village, school
2    district, body politic or municipal corporation which made
3    the contract.
4        2. Every person in the service of another under any
5    contract of hire, express or implied, oral or written, who
6    contracts an occupational disease while working in the
7    State of Illinois, or who contracts an occupational disease
8    while working outside of the State of Illinois but where
9    the contract of hire is made within the State of Illinois,
10    and any person whose employment is principally localized
11    within the State of Illinois, regardless of the place where
12    the disease was contracted or place where the contract of
13    hire was made, including aliens, and minors who, for the
14    purpose of this Act, except Section 3 hereof, shall be
15    considered the same and have the same power to contract,
16    receive payments and give quittances therefor, as adult
17    employees. An employee or his or her dependents under this
18    Act who shall have a cause of action by reason of an
19    occupational disease, disablement or death arising out of
20    and in the course of his or her employment may elect or
21    pursue his or her remedy in the State where the disease was
22    contracted, or in the State where the contract of hire is
23    made, or in the State where the employment is principally
24    localized.
25    (c) "Commission" means the Illinois Workers' Compensation
26Commission created by the Workers' Compensation Act, approved

 

 

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1July 9, 1951, as amended.
2    (d) In this Act the term "Occupational Disease" means a
3disease arising out of and in the course of the employment or
4which has become aggravated and rendered disabling as a result
5of the exposure of the employment. Such aggravation shall arise
6out of a risk peculiar to or increased by the employment and
7not common to the general public.
8    A disease shall be deemed to arise out of the employment if
9there is apparent to the rational mind, upon consideration of
10all the circumstances, a causal connection between the
11conditions under which the work is performed and the
12occupational disease. The disease need not to have been
13foreseen or expected but after its contraction it must appear
14to have had its origin or aggravation in a risk connected with
15the employment and to have flowed from that source as a
16rational consequence.
17    An employee shall be conclusively deemed to have been
18exposed to the hazards of an occupational disease when, for any
19length of time however short, he or she is employed in an
20occupation or process in which the hazard of the disease
21exists; provided however, that in a claim of exposure to atomic
22radiation, the fact of such exposure must be verified by the
23records of the central registry of radiation exposure
24maintained by the Department of Public Health or by some other
25recognized governmental agency maintaining records of such
26exposures whenever and to the extent that the records are on

 

 

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1file with the Department of Public Health or the agency.
2    Any injury to or disease or death of an employee arising
3from the administration of a vaccine, including without
4limitation smallpox vaccine, to prepare for, or as a response
5to, a threatened or potential bioterrorist incident to the
6employee as part of a voluntary inoculation program in
7connection with the person's employment or in connection with
8any governmental program or recommendation for the inoculation
9of workers in the employee's occupation, geographical area, or
10other category that includes the employee is deemed to arise
11out of and in the course of the employment for all purposes
12under this Act. This paragraph added by Public Act 93-829 is
13declarative of existing law and is not a new enactment.
14    The employer liable for the compensation in this Act
15provided shall be the employer in whose employment the employee
16was last exposed to the hazard of the occupational disease
17claimed upon regardless of the length of time of such last
18exposure, except, in cases of silicosis or asbestosis, the only
19employer liable shall be the last employer in whose employment
20the employee was last exposed during a period of 60 days or
21more after the effective date of this Act, to the hazard of
22such occupational disease, and, in such cases, an exposure
23during a period of less than 60 days, after the effective date
24of this Act, shall not be deemed a last exposure. If a miner
25who is suffering or suffered from pneumoconiosis was employed
26for 10 years or more in one or more coal mines there shall,

 

 

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1effective July 1, 1973 be a rebuttable presumption that his or
2her pneumoconiosis arose out of such employment.
3    If a deceased miner was employed for 10 years or more in
4one or more coal mines and died from a respirable disease there
5shall, effective July 1, 1973, be a rebuttable presumption that
6his or her death was due to pneumoconiosis.
7    Any condition or impairment of health of an employee
8employed as a firefighter, emergency medical technician (EMT),
9emergency medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), advanced
10emergency medical technician (A-EMT), or paramedic which
11results directly or indirectly from any bloodborne pathogen,
12lung or respiratory disease or condition, heart or vascular
13disease or condition, hypertension, tuberculosis,
14Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or cancer
15resulting in any disability (temporary, permanent, total, or
16partial) to the employee shall be rebuttably presumed to arise
17out of and in the course of the employee's firefighting, EMT,
18EMT-I, A-EMT, or paramedic employment and, further, shall be
19rebuttably presumed to be causally connected to the hazards or
20exposures of the employment. This presumption shall also apply
21to any hernia or hearing loss suffered by an employee employed
22as a firefighter, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or paramedic. However,
23this presumption shall not apply to any employee who has been
24employed as a firefighter, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or paramedic for
25less than 5 years at the time he or she files an Application
26for Adjustment of Claim concerning this condition or impairment

 

 

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1with the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. The
2rebuttable presumption established under this subsection is
3intended to be a strong presumption supported by compelling
4policy considerations to compensate the victims who succumb to
5the conditions and disabilities covered in this subsection and
6their families. This presumption is intended to shift the
7burden of proof to the employing entity. Any party attacking
8the presumption must establish by clear and convincing evidence
9an independent and non-work related cause for the condition or
10disability covered by this subsection and prove that no aspect
11of the employment contributed to the condition. Further, the
12rebuttable presumption relating to hearing loss cannot be
13overcome with evidence allegedly showing that the injured
14employee did not meet the exposure thresholds listed in
15subdivisions (e) and (f) of Section 7. The rebuttable
16presumption established under this subsection, however, does
17not apply to an emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency
18medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), advanced emergency
19medical technician (A-EMT), or paramedic employed by a private
20employer if the employee spends the preponderance of his or her
21work time for that employer engaged in medical transfers
22between medical care facilities or non-emergency medical
23transfers to or from medical care facilities. The changes made
24to this subsection by this amendatory Act of the 98th General
25Assembly shall be narrowly construed. The Finding and Decision
26of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission under only the

 

 

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1rebuttable presumption provision of this paragraph shall not be
2admissible or be deemed res judicata in any disability claim
3under the Illinois Pension Code arising out of the same medical
4condition; however, this sentence makes no change to the law
5set forth in Krohe v. City of Bloomington, 204 Ill.2d 392. The
6changes made by this amendatory Act of the 101st General
7Assembly are intended to apply to matters arising on and after
8January 1, 2008.
9    The insurance carrier liable shall be the carrier whose
10policy was in effect covering the employer liable on the last
11day of the exposure rendering such employer liable in
12accordance with the provisions of this Act.
13    (e) "Disablement" means an impairment or partial
14impairment, temporary or permanent, in the function of the body
15or any of the members of the body, or the event of becoming
16disabled from earning full wages at the work in which the
17employee was engaged when last exposed to the hazards of the
18occupational disease by the employer from whom he or she claims
19compensation, or equal wages in other suitable employment; and
20"disability" means the state of being so incapacitated.
21    (f) No compensation shall be payable for or on account of
22any occupational disease unless disablement, as herein
23defined, occurs within two years after the last day of the last
24exposure to the hazards of the disease, except in cases of
25occupational disease caused by berylliosis or by the inhalation
26of silica dust or asbestos dust and, in such cases, within 3

 

 

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1years after the last day of the last exposure to the hazards of
2such disease and except in the case of occupational disease
3caused by exposure to radiological materials or equipment, and
4in such case, within 25 years after the last day of last
5exposure to the hazards of such disease.
6(Source: P.A. 98-291, eff. 1-1-14; 98-973, eff. 8-15-14.)
 
7    (820 ILCS 310/7)  (from Ch. 48, par. 172.42)
8    Sec. 7. If any employee sustains any disablement,
9impairment, or disfigurement, or dies and his or her
10disability, impairment, disfigurement or death is caused by a
11disease aggravated by an exposure of the employment or by an
12occupational disease arising out of and in the course of his or
13her employment, such employee or such employee's dependents, as
14the case may be, shall be entitled to compensation, medical,
15surgical, hospital and rehabilitation care, prosthesis, burial
16costs, and all other benefits, rights and remedies, in the same
17manner, to the same extent and subject to the same terms,
18conditions and limitations, except as herein otherwise
19provided, as are now or may hereafter be provided by the
20"Workers' Compensation Act" for accidental injuries sustained
21by employees arising out of and in the course of their
22employment (except that the amount of compensation which shall
23be paid for loss of hearing of one ear is 100 weeks) and for
24this purpose the disablement, disfigurement or death of an
25employee by reason of an occupational disease, arising out of

 

 

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1and in the course of his or her employment, shall be treated as
2the happening of an accidental injury.
3    (a) Loss of hearing for compensation purposes shall be
4confined to the frequencies of 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 cycles
5per second. Loss of hearing ability for frequency tones above
63,000 cycles per second are not to be considered as
7constituting disability for hearing.
8    (b) The percent of hearing loss, for purposes of the
9determination of compensation claims for occupational
10deafness, shall be calculated as the average in decibels for
11the thresholds of hearing for the frequencies of 1,000, 2,000
12and 3,000 cycles per second. Pure tone air conduction
13audiometric instruments, approved by nationally recognized
14authorities in this field, shall be used for measuring hearing
15loss. If the losses of hearing average 30 decibels or less in
16the 3 frequencies, such losses of hearing shall not then
17constitute any compensable hearing disability. If the losses of
18hearing average 85 decibels or more in the 3 frequencies, then
19the same shall constitute and be total or 100 percent
20compensable hearing loss.
21    (c) In measuring hearing impairment, the lowest measured
22losses in each of the 3 frequencies shall be added together and
23divided by 3 to determine the average decibel loss. For every
24decibel of loss exceeding 30 decibels an allowance of 1.82%
25shall be made up to the maximum of 100 percent which is reached
26at 85 decibels.

 

 

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1    (d) If a hearing loss is established to have existed on
2July 1, 1975, by audiometric testing the employer shall not be
3liable for the previous loss so established nor shall he be
4liable for any loss for which compensation has been paid or
5awarded.
6    (e) No consideration shall be given to the question of
7whether or not the ability of an employee to understand speech
8is improved by the use of a hearing aid.
9    (f) No claim for loss of hearing due to industrial noise
10shall be brought against an employer or allowed unless the
11employee has been exposed for a period of time sufficient to
12cause permanent impairment to noise levels in excess of the
13following:
14          Sound Level DBA
15          Slow Response             Hours Per Day
16               90                         8
17               92                         6
18               95                         4
19               97                         3
20              100                         2
21              102                         1-1/2
22              105                         1
23              110                         1/2
24              115                         1/4
25This subparagraph (f) shall not be applied in cases of hearing
26loss resulting from trauma or explosion. Further, this

 

 

HB2480- 21 -LRB101 08701 JLS 53786 b

1subparagraph (f) shall not be applied in cased of hearing loss
2to firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and
3paramedics.
4    In addition to discharging the foregoing obligations, the
5employer shall pay into the Special Fund created under
6paragraph (f) of Section 7 of the "Workers' Compensation Act",
7the same amounts and in the same manner as is provided in the
8same Act in cases of accidental injuries arising out of and in
9the course of the employment.
10(Source: P.A. 81-1482.)
 
11    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
12becoming law.