As a St. Paul Fire Department captain, Chris Parsons knows that he and his colleagues risk contracting COVID-19 every day on the job. But right now, employees would need to prove their exposure was work-related in order to make a workers’ compensation claim.
Parsons is also president of the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters union. He and others want to shift the burden of proof to the employers.
“It gives the employee a fighting chance when they’re going in and trying to get disability benefits,” Parsons said.
Legislation was introduced a few weeks ago to make the change, and House and Senate leaders considered it as part of the $330 million coronavirus relief package that lawmakers passed last week. But the measure fell by the wayside during negotiations.