Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As of January 1, 2024, several COVID-19 claims reporting requirements are changing for employers in the State of California.
Beginning this year, employers are no longer required to report COVID-19 cases to their carrier in order to determine workplace outbreaks.
Additionally, COVID-19 is no longer automatically assumed to be a work-related illness. Previously, if a certain number of employees tested positive for COVID-19 within a specific amount of time, those employees’ workers’ compensation claims were presumed work-related, making them eligible for benefits. Now, if an employee claims a COVID-19 injury, it will be treated as a regular claim instead of a presumed work-related illness.
Also, the time frame for deciding liability in COVID-19 injury claims, previously 30 to 45 days, has now returned to the original 90-day timeframe.
Employers are still required to follow Cal/OSHA’s reporting requirements regarding a COVID-19 case, and clients should be aware of their location’s county health department reporting standards. Although most no longer require reporting, health departments such as Los Angeles County still demand companies report employee COVID-19 cases over a certain number.
For questions regarding these changes, visit www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/coronavirus.