Traveling Nurses Face Difficulties on Comp Claims

Thursday, November 5, 2020 | 0

The demand for traveling nurses has spiked during the coronavirus pandemic, but they are facing some of the greatest difficulties in finding paid leave and workers' compensation benefits, Kaiser Health News reports.

Traveling nurses, now more in demand as staff nurses have fallen ill to the virus, often face onerous hurdles to the overtime, sick leave or workers’ compensation they are entitled to, Nathan Piller, an attorney at an employment litigation law firm, told the news outlet.

The travelers often move quickly from state to state and risk spreading and contracting the disease, making it difficult to know where to file claims.

Their concerns about workplace safety and lack of protective gear have often gone ignored by the hospitals and the recruiting companies that sign them up for the travel work, the report found.

Rural hospitals have been particularly dependent on traveling nurses, even before the pandemic began.