Lawmakers in Maryland are considering a workers’ compensation presumption for first responders, public safety employees and health care workers who have suffered a COVID-19 infection dating back to the beginning of the pandemic.

The presumption in Senate Bill 10, by Sen. Michael A. Jackson, D-Calvert, would apply on or after March 1, 2020, if “the individual tested positive for or was diagnosed with COVID-19 within 14 days after a day that the individual performed labor or services at the individual’s primary workplace or another assigned workplace that is not the individual’s home at the employer’s direction.”

The presumption would be rebuttable given “substantial evidence to the contrary that demonstrates that the individual tested positive for or was diagnosed with COVID-19 for reasons not arising out of and in the course of employment.”

The presumption would expire on July 31, 2023.

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