101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB3112

 

Introduced , by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
820 ILCS 305/6  from Ch. 48, par. 138.6

    Amends the Workers' Compensation Act. Provides that, with respect to firefighters and emergency medical technicians, a contagious staph infection, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), is rebuttably presumed to arise out of and in the course of employment. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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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,
26contagious staph infection, including Methicillin-resistant

 

 

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1Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), lung or respiratory disease or
2condition, heart or vascular disease or condition,
3hypertension, tuberculosis, or cancer resulting in any
4disability (temporary, permanent, total, or partial) to the
5employee shall be rebuttably presumed to arise out of and in
6the course of the employee's firefighting, EMT, or paramedic
7employment and, further, shall be rebuttably presumed to be
8causally connected to the hazards or exposures of the
9employment. This presumption shall also apply to any hernia or
10hearing loss suffered by an employee employed as a firefighter,
11EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or paramedic. However, this presumption
12shall not apply to any employee who has been employed as a
13firefighter, EMT, or paramedic for less than 5 years at the
14time he or she files an Application for Adjustment of Claim
15concerning this condition or impairment with the Illinois
16Workers' Compensation Commission. The rebuttable presumption
17established under this subsection, however, does not apply to
18an emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency medical
19technician-intermediate (EMT-I), advanced emergency medical
20technician (A-EMT), or paramedic employed by a private employer
21if the employee spends the preponderance of his or her work
22time for that employer engaged in medical transfers between
23medical care facilities or non-emergency medical transfers to
24or from medical care facilities. The changes made to this
25subsection by Public Act 98-291 shall be narrowly construed.
26The Finding and Decision of the Illinois Workers' Compensation

 

 

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1Commission under only the rebuttable presumption provision of
2this subsection shall not be admissible or be deemed res
3judicata in any disability claim under the Illinois Pension
4Code arising out of the same medical condition; however, this
5sentence makes no change to the law set forth in Krohe v. City
6of Bloomington, 204 Ill.2d 392.
7(Source: P.A. 98-291, eff. 1-1-14; 98-874, eff. 1-1-15; 98-973,
8eff. 8-15-14; 99-78, eff. 7-20-15; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)
 
9    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
10becoming law.