On Thursday (April 29) the Philippine government announced that workers who test positive for the coronavirus will be eligible to receive compensation from the government, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
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The board of the Employee’s Compensation Commission (ECC) on Wednesday approved the inclusion of COVID-19 to the list which entitled workers sick of COVID-19 to the compensation.
![[BREAKING] DOLE Now Considers COVID-19 a Compensable Disease](https://thepinoyofw.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/employees.jpg)
Now, Employees Who Contract COVID-19 Can Apply for Compensation From the Gov’t
Those who would like to apply for compensation must meet the following conditions:
- There must be a direct connection between the offending agent or event and the worker based on epidemiologic criteria and occupational risk (e.g. healthcare workers, screening and contact tracing teams, etc.);
- The tasks assigned to the worker would require frequent face to face and close proximity interactions with the public or with confirmed cases for healthcare workers;
- Transmission occurred in the workplace; or
- Transmission occurred while commuting to and from work.
According to the statement from the labor department: “Considering the OSHC’s recommendations and after deliberations with the Department of Labor and Employment and various labor and employers, the Commission has moved that CoVID-19 be considered an occupational and work-related disease.”
Eligible workers may apply for the benefits by presenting the following documents:
- Certificate of employment,
- Diagnosis with RT-PCR result,
- Submission of evidence of exposure, and
- Medical records, as necessary.
The Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System will administer the ECC.
“The ECC is continuously working to improve its policies and services to better serve the Filipino workers, especially during this trying time. We will persist to find ways and come up with measures that will mobilize assistance and respond to the crises brought by the COVID-19 pandemic,” ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis said in a document.
The terms and conditions on the implementation or claims of the compensation, however, were not specified in the announcement.
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