Published: May 2020
By: Jay Patel, Research Assistant for Income Security Policy

The U.S. workers’ compensation system in its current form is complex, opaque and fragmented. Unlike other social insurance programs, it is wholly administered at the state level, and there is neither federal oversight nor any federal mandate that sets out minimum standards. As a result, there is substantial variation across states in levels of both coverage and benefits. Moreover, compensation differs for job-related injuries versus illnesses.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the challenge of determining whether employees who contract a highly contagious disease that exposes some workers more than others qualify for benefits under workers’ compensation. This brief explores how those two disparities – from state to state and between injuries and illnesses – are playing out during this crisis, and longer-term implications.

Download the third fact sheet in the Academy's COVID-19 Legislative Response series.

Nikkei (29.05.2020) On the 29th, the Pension Reform Law was enacted, which includes such provisions as a lowering of the starting age for public pension benefits to 75. Increase the amount of pension you receive by delaying receipt of benefits. The government will also review the "working-age pension," which reduces some of the pensions of the working elderly, in an effort to encourage the elderly to work. The application of employee pensions to part-time workers will also be expanded in a phased manner.

The International ORP Foundation in cooperation with the Vision Zero Business Council has hosted a series of three Vision Zero Webinars. The  webinars have shown how important a participatory approach to safety and health at work really is during the COVID-19 pandemic. The three webinars are available on YouTube:

Webinar 1: Vision Zero in times of Covid-19 (I)

Webinar 2: Vision Zero in times of Covid-19 (II)

Webinar 3: Vision Zero in times of Covid-19 (III): From Lockdown to the New Normal

The last Webinar discussed four critical success factors for a safe return to work after the lockdown.
These include:

• Developing a new, caring prevention culture at work
• Protecting the most vulnerable groups of employees
• Addressing all health risks caused by the pandemic
• Smart ways of promoting safe and healthy behaviour

ICLG.com Briefing (05.05.2020) Decision No. 01/19, dated 30/03/2020 (“Decision”), approved by the Government of Republic of Kosovo, has enacted the Emergency Fiscal Package.

Payment of monthly assistance in the amount of one hundred and thirty (€130) Euros to citizens who lose their jobs due to the public health emergency situation, for April, May and June, amounting up to four million (€4,000,000.00) Euros;

ICLG.com Briefing(05.05.2020) Decision No.. 01/19, dated 30/03/2020 (“Decision”), approved by the Government of Republic of Kosovo, has enacted the Emergency Fiscal Package.

• Provision of a salary top-up in the amount of three hundred (€300) Euros for field workers and those exposed directly to the risk of infection in their work (not the entire staff of the institution): medical staff (doctors and nurses), members of Kosovo Police, officials (guardians) of the Correctional Services, officials (fire-fighters) of the Emergency Management Agency, KSF (soldiers) personnel, employees working at the Quarantine – Student Centre in Prishtina, officials (inspectors) of the Labour Inspectorate, officials (inspectors) of the Tax Administration of Kosovo, officials of the Kosovo Customs, officials (inspectors) of the Market Inspectorate, officials (inspectors) of respective municipal inspectorates, officials (inspectors) of Labour Medicine, for April and May, amounting up to fifteen million (€15,000,000.00) Euros;
• Additional payment in the amount of one hundred (€100) Euros to employees of grocery stores, bakeries and pharmacies for April and May, amounting up to three million (€3,000,000.00) Euros;

 ICLG.com Briefing (05.05.2020) Decision No. 01/19, dated 30/03/2020 (“Decision”), approved by the Government of Republic of Kosovo, has enacted the Emergency Fiscal Package.

Financial support for business organisation under financial distress due to the downfall of their business activity that resulted from the public health emergency situation, as follows:

Covering of the value of pension contributions with regard to the measures foreseen under this Decision for April and May, amounting to eight million (€8,000,000.00) Euros.

ICLG.com Briefing (05.05.2020) Decision No. 01/19, dated 30/03/2020 (“Decision”), approved by the Government of Republic of Kosovo, has enacted the Emergency Fiscal Package.

Financial support for business organisation under financial distress due to the downfall of their business activity that resulted from the public health emergency situation, as follows:

• Covering of expenditures for the monthly salaries in the amount of one hundred seventy (€170) Euros for April and May, a measure amounting to forty-one million (€41,000,000.00) Euros;

 ICLG.com Briefing (05.05.2020) Decision No. 01/19, dated 30/03/2020 (“Decision”), approved by the Government of Republic of Kosovo, has enacted the Emergency Fiscal Package.

Payment of an additional sum of thirty (€30) Euros per month to all beneficiaries of social assistance and pension schemes who receive a monthly payment lower than one-hundred (€100) Euros, for April, May and June, provided that they are beneficiaries of only one scheme.

ICLG.com Briefing (05.05.2020) Decision No. 01/19, dated 30/03/2020 (“Decision”), approved by the Government of Republic of Kosovo, has enacted the Emergency Fiscal Package.

Double payment of the social assistance scheme to all beneficiaries of social assistance schemes for April and May, a measure amounting to seven million six hundred fifty thousand (€7,650,000.00) Euros, including payments executed for March;

 Ministry of Finance and Transfers (21.05.2020)  The Kosovo Treasury has executed the payment of all pension and social schemes for over 310 thousand beneficiaries, a few days before the regular time, due to the pandemic situation and in respect of the official holiday of the Great Eid.

Apanews.net (25.04.2020) The Gambia government has shipped in a large consignment of rice and sugar to ease the livelihood challenges of the citizenry amid Covid-19 lock down. The over 300,000 bags of  rice and sugar have been off loaded and packed at the Mcmarthy Square in  Banjul, pending distribution to households in all regions in the  country.

Development Pathways (May 2020) The COVID-19 crisis and its widespread impacts demonstrate the need to reform current social security systems in Asia.

Development Pathways (21.04.2020) As the COVID-19 pandemic rages like a wild inferno at a global scale, humanity is neck-deep in responding with every resource, instrument, policy and strategy that is at its disposal.

Reuters (05.05.2020) Afghanistan’s government began distributing free bread to hundreds of thousands of people across the country this week as supplies have been disrupted during the coronavirus shutdown and prices have soared, officials and experts said.Afghanistan distributes free bread as prices soar amid coronavirus.

gnnliberia.com (14.04.2020)

The Liberian Government will take up the electricity bill of households in the affected counties for the duration of the STAY-AT-HOME order (total cost: US$4 million dollars).

gnnliberia.com (14.04.2020)

The government planned to use the amount of US$25 million to support food distribution to households in designated affected counties for the period of 60 days.

ewn.co.za (19.03.2020)

In March 2020, the Ministry of Education announced that schools will be closed but school feeding will continue for public primary school learners, in order to ensure that children are given one hot meal per day.

dailypost.vu (01.04.2020)

The government of Vanuatu aims to support jobs through the Employment Stabilization Payment Program, which will reimburse employers up to VT 30,000 per employee on their payroll each month for a period of four months. Employers will also receive a payment of 15% of the amount they are reimbursed for wages under this payment as an added incentive to keep their staff employed.

gulfnews.com (02.04.2020)

The Abu Dhabi Pension Fund announced that private sector companies in the emirate can apply to postpone paying pensions over the next three months.

observer.ug (04.04.2020)

Government started the distribution of food packs to 1.5 million vulnerable people in Kampala and Wakiso districts on Saturday, April 4, 2020. The food items distributed are: six kilograms of maize flour and three kilograms of beans and salt per head. Lactating mothers and the sick will additionally receive more two kilograms of powdered milk and two kilograms of sugar.

mof.gov.zm (20.04.2020)

K500 million to the Public Service Pensions Fund to pay over 1,500 retirees or their beneficiaries.

herald.co.zw (15.04.2020) One million households identified through the Social Welfare Department to benefit from the $600 million kitty availed by the Government to mitigate the effects of Covid-19.

Government Offices of Sweden (11.05.2020) Parents who have to stay home from work to care for children, whose schools are closed to limit the spread of the virus, will be eligible for temporary parental benefit. In such situations, parents will receive approximately 90 per cent of the daily allowance they would normally receive in temporary parental benefit.

The new ordinance also contains an exemption from the requirement of a medical opinion to verify the special need for care  if temporary parental benefit is to be paid when a child between the ages of 12 and 16 is sick. The need must still be verified, but it can be done by some other means than a medical opinion.

worldbank.org (14.05.2020) The economic downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is having a major impact on global labor and financial markets – which in turn will have significant effects on pension systems.  Crucially, policy responses will need to strike a balance between the immediate protection of vulnerable groups and ensuring that our pension systems remain able to deliver retirement income in the future as the global population ages. Here, we propose four important policy questions to be considered as governments grapple with this challenge:

Federal Public Service - Social Security (05.05.2020) Self-employed workers who fall ill during the coronavirus crisis can receive sickness benefits from the first day they actually fell ill; the date mentioned on the sickness certificate is no longer taken into account. Due to the specific measures which apply to a consultation with a doctor (general practitioner), it may indeed take a long time before a sick person can actually consult his doctor (general practitioner). Consequently, this specific crisis measure applies from the period from March 1 to the end of September 2020.