Executive Order Allows Comp Coverage for COVID-19

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday signed an executive order clarifying that workers’ compensation can cover claims for COVID-19. The governor’s executive order defines COVID-19 as an occupational disease. The order further creates an exception to the prohibition on compensation for an ordinary disease of life for COVID-19. “Any employee asserting an occupational disease under this executive order must meet all requirements of proof for an occupational disease, including a causal connection between employment and the disease,” the order reads. The order appli...