Bill > AB375

This bill, by adding Section 3212.13 to the Labor Code, establishes a presumption for hospital employees who provide direct patient care in acute care hospitals, meaning facilities that provide 24-hour inpatient care, including general acute care hospitals and acute psychiatric hospitals, that certain illnesses are work-related for the purposes of workers' compensation. Specifically, if a hospital employee develops a bloodborne infectious disease, which is defined as a disease caused by exposure to pathogens in human blood, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), during their employment, it will be presumed to have arisen out of and in the course of their job. This presumption is disputable, meaning it can be challenged with evidence, and it extends for 180 days after employment ends for bloodborne infectious diseases and 90 days for MRSA. The bill also clarifies that any such illness will not be attributed to pre-existing conditions. This measure aims to provide greater access to workers' compensation benefits for hospital employees who face significant risks of contracting infectious diseases due to their direct patient care responsibilities, similar to the presumptive eligibility already afforded to public safety employees for certain conditions.