Presumptive compensation needed for healthcare works who get COVID
A compensation scheme that assumes healthcare workers who contract COVID-19 do so at work is needed to streamline claims and give Victorian staff the same rights as their interstate counterparts, a Torquay MP says.
Geelong
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A compensation scheme that assumes healthcare workers who contract COVID-19 do so at work should be introduced, a Torquay MP says.
Stuart Grimley said Victorian healthcare workers were being treated differently to their interstate counterparts when trying to access compensation for COVID-19 illness and the related time off work.
“For example, if I’m a paramedic and I contract COVID-19 and therefore have to take time
off work, contact tracing needs to be undertaken to 100 per cent confirm that I got COVID-19
whilst at work in order for a WorkCover claim to be processed for my illness,” Mr Grimley said.
“Presumptive compensation is needed for healthcare workers especially where it’s
estimated that at least 70 to 80 per cent of COVID-19 contractions are from within the workplace.
“If Western Australia and South Australia have such a scheme that’s giving healthcare
workers the rights they deserve, why don’t we?”
Mr Grimley said given long delays in genomic testing and the inability to contact trace some
COVID-19 cases, presumptive compensation scheme was important for healthcare workers who needed extended time off work.
A government spokeswoman said all workers compensation claims are assessed independently by WorkSafe.
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“All workers who contract COVID-19 at work are entitled to make a claim for workers compensation, which could include weekly income support and reasonable medical and like expenses,” the spokeswoman said.
“WorkSafe has not rejected any claims made by healthcare workers who have a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.”
The spokeswoman said as of Monday, WorkSafe accepted 219 claims from the health care and social assistance workers who contracted COVID-19.
Since the beginning of the pandemic 3340 healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19, and 260 cases were active on Tuesday.
WorkSafe introduced a fast-track system for all (COVID-19 claims in January.
Originally published as Presumptive compensation needed for healthcare works who get COVID