Workers' compensation is most often associated with on-the-job accidents or injuries. But coverage also applies to people who develop an illness, often referred to as an occupational disease, as a result of their line of work.For the second time, police, firefighters and emergency rescue workers are asking the Connecticut legislature to extend workers' compensation coverage to certain cancers and diseases. It's not unusual for workers' compensation to cover occupational illnesses, as well as injuries.
The bill, which stalled in the state House of Representatives last year, pits unions and local governments on opposite sides and Democrats versus Republicans
While some conservative legislators have said they'd consider workers' comp for infectious diseases, conditions such as cancer and hypertension could be a hard sell, according to news reports on the proposed legislation.
