Dear Colleagues,
Members who are diagnosed with COVID-19 who believe their infection was due to work related exposure should be encouraged to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. At this time, potential long term effects of COVID 19 are unknown. Given this, it important that you protect your rights to medical care and wage replacement through New York’s Workers’ Compensation system. Documenting on-the-job exposure to COVID 19 now can prove critical to protecting your rights to receive Workers Compensation benefits in the future.
Members who are exposed to COVID-19 at work are encouraged to: document the exposure; report the exposure by following the campus process for filing an accident or incident report; report the exposure to the state Accident Reporting System; and, if they become ill, file a Workers’ Compensation claim. To assist members in this effort, UUP has prepared an information flyer on Workers’ Compensation and COVID 19 and a COVID-19 Exposure Tracking Form which members can use to create a written record of their exposure. Both the flyer and the tracking form are posted on the COVID 19 Resources page on the UUP website at https://uupinfo.org/resources/covid19/
In Solidarity,
Ken Kern
Chapter President
UUP Buffalo Center