Download This PaperA Federal Heroes Compensation Fund
4 Pages Posted: 26 Apr 2020
Date Written: April 24, 2020
Abstract
The COVID-10 pandemic has the potential of generating an enormous number of occupational illness claims from health care workers [HCW] and first responders [FR]. Several governmental leaders have called for a nationalized workers’ compensation benefit program to handle the surge of claims.
The ability of the patchwork of individualized state programs to handle the potential monumental surge of claims has come into question. The efficiency and effectiveness of a multitude of non-integrated and stand-alone schemes of workers’ compensation will be challenging. The fractionalized handling by multiple jurisdictions will produce an inconsistent and erratic benefit delivery solution that will impact the strategy to provide the best public health initiative nationally to cope with the COVID pandemic.
As the first wave of the pandemic continues to surge across the nation and world, it is incumbent upon the Congress to insure the existence of an adequate and uniform benefit program is in place.The battle against COVID-19 will be long and tedious. The nation must provide a uniform, remedial and efficient benefit program to protect our HCWs and FRs and protect their families. This is national effort and should not put one state conflicting against another. The time for Congress to enact a Federal Heroes Compensation Fund is now.
Keywords: Heroes Fund, Federal solutions, Federal Compensation Program, Andrew Cuomo, Chuck Schumer, Health Care Workers, First Responders, Hazard Pay, COVID-19, Coronavirus
JEL Classification: K31, K41
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation