Law office of Scott A. Schwartz

Workers’ Compensation Presumption Bill for Nurses: MRSA

By Scott A. Schwartz | Published October 31, 2018

California workers’ compensation law requires a nurse who develops methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin infections (MRSA) to prove that the infection was contracted at work. MRSA is a staph infection that does not respond to most antibiotics. As many as 78% of MRSA infections are contracted from health facility centers according to the the Centers for Disease Control.

Accordingly, the California assembly passed bills (to be voted on by Senate) that would create a rebuttable presumption under California workers’ compensation law, which would presume causation between MRSA contraction by a nurse and his or her employment at a healthcare facility. The law would apply in California workers’ compensation claims for nurses who provide direct patient care at certain healthcare facilities.

Any nurse or healthcare worker who contracts a MRSA infection should contact a reputable California workers’ compensation attorney who can apprise you of recent legislation and presumptions to which you may be entitled.


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