On Friday, June 5, 2020, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0633, which amends the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act to create a rebuttable presumption that a first-responder or essential worker who contracts COVID-19 did so in the course of his/her employment and would be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. The Act went into effect immediately.
An overview of the amendment to the Workers’ Compensation Act, including a discussion of the defenses available to an employer contesting a COVID-19 related claim, can be found in our previous alert.
