Monthly Labor Review
January 2002
31
Workers' Compensation, 2001
Changes in workers' compensation
laws during 2001
Workers’ compensation coverage was extended
to certain law enforcement and public safety officers,
but excluded from some sports officials, inmates,
musicians, and horse trainers
Glenn Whittington
Glenn Whittington is Chief, Branch of Planning
Policy and Standards, Office of Workers’
Compensation Programs, Employment Standards
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.
e-mail: gaw@fenix2.dol-esa.gov
The issue of coverage under workers’ compensation laws
received a great deal of attention in 2001. For example,
extending presumptions of coverage for certain dis-
eases suffered by law enforcement officers or firefighters, or
both, occurred in Arizona, California, Florida, Maryland, and
Virginia. On the other hand, sports officials, State prisoners
and county inmates in Florida, musicians in Louisiana, horse
trainers in Montana, and soccer referees in Oregon were ex-
cluded from coverage.
In gearing up for the Winter Olympic games, Utah is pro-
viding workers’ compensation coverage for law enforcement/
public safety volunteers and paid officers who provide public
safety services.
In Idaho, infectious hepatitis and tuberculosis are now con-
sidered “occupational diseases” in any occupation involving
exposure to human blood or body fluids.
In Nevada, if a person contracts a contagious disease dur-
ing the course and scope of his employment that results in a
temporary or permanent disability or death, the disease is
deemed to be an occupational disease and compensable if
certain conditions are met.
In Georgia, the weekly maximum benefit for temporary
total disability increased to $400 and the minimum to $40
(up from $375 and $37.50, respectively). Also in Georgia,
the weekly maximum for temporary partial disability was
increased to $268 from $250. In Louisiana, the amount of
benefits paid to each surviving parent in a no-dependency
death claim was increased to $75,000 from $20,000. In Wyo-
ming, the am