SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A judge has blocked a new Illinois workers’ compensation rule granting benefits to any employee deemed essential who contracts COVID-19, even if working from home.
Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Madonia issued a temporary restraining order Thursday blocking the rule.
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association had filed suit this week against emergency amendments adopted by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. The commission decreed earlier this month that any worker deemed essential during the pandemic who contracts COVID-19 is granted an automatic assumption that she or he contracted it at work, even if working remotely, allowing for workers’ compensation benefits covered by employers.
