Authored by Sen. Arreguín, S.B. 632 would provide RNs equity in workers’ comp

Nurses across California applaud the vote by the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee to advance S.B. 632, authored by Sen. Jesse Arreguín (SD-07) and sponsored by California Nurses Association (CNA). If passed, this bill would ensure that nurses and other health care workers are automatically eligible for workers’ compensation for a variety of injuries and illnesses. Amidst a staffing crisis in the nursing profession, this legislation would help increase the retention of skilled nurses in California hospitals.

California is one of many states with laws that grant some public safety employees presumptive eligibility for workers’ compensation. However, nurses have no such protections, even though they suffer alarmingly high rates of injury and illness compared to workers overall. Registered nurses experience 95 percent more work-related injuries and illnesses of all kinds than U.S. workers overall, with high rates of back injuries and high rates of exposure to infectious disease and other harmful substances. This bill would correct this unfair treatment.

“Nurses are on the front lines of our health care system. When we get sick or injured caring for our patients, we should not have to fight to get the healing we need,” said CNA President Sandy Reding, RN. “Our workers’ compensation system is currently set up to delay and deny the care nurses need. We appreciate Sen. Arreguín for authoring S.B. 632, which will make it easier for nurses to heal after getting hurt or sick on the job, instead of wasting our time fighting for the medical and financial support we need.”

“SB 632 will level the playing field by giving hospital workers the benefits already provided in other occupations with similar risks,” said Sen. Jesse Arreguín. “Our health care workers take care of our community, and we need to have their back too. This bill will make it easier for our health care workers to seek treatment for when they get sick or injured at work, ensuring that Californians have access to high-quality medical attention and care.”

As frontline health care workers, nurses face many of the same health risks as public safety officers. Presumptive eligibility for workers’ compensation means that, if the employee sustains certain injuries or becomes infected with certain diseases, the injury or illness is presumed to be job-related and makes them automatically eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. This presumption shifts the evidentiary burdens in the workers’ compensation process onto the employer, eliminating unnecessary delays and administrative hurdles when nurses file workers’ compensation claims.

Passing this legislation would correct a gender disparity in California workers’ compensation law. Presumptive eligibility exists for certain first responder, male-dominated professions, such as firefighters and police officers. They are currently eligible for workers’ compensation presumptions for a whole host of conditions, including lower back pain, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nurses, however, do not have any presumptive eligibility, even though the nearly 90-percent female profession experiences many known hazards at work.

By aligning protections for hospital workers with those already provided to other first responders, this bill will remove unnecessary barriers in the workers’ compensation system and ensure that those who dedicate their lives to patient care receive the support they need to heal and return to work.