COVID-19 Presumption
Newsom issued an Executive Order on May 6, 2020, enacting sweeping changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system. Under the order, any worker who contracts COVID-19 within 14 days of working at a place of employment is presumed to have contracted COVID-19 while on the job and entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. This executive order provides that compensation will include all workers’ compensation benefits, including full hospital, surgical, and medical treatment, disability indemnity, and death benefits. The COVID-19 presumption is retroactive to Newsom’s Stay-at-Home Order on March 19, 2020, and remains in place for 60 days after issuance of this executive order, through July 5, 2020.
