World News | Report: 2,866 COVID Claims, 48 Deaths Among Federal Workers
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Nearly 3,000 federal workers have filed compensation claims for having contracted COVID-19 on the job, a number that is expected to double by early next month, according to a Department of Labor review.
Washington, Jul 28 (AP) Nearly 3,000 federal workers have filed compensation claims for having contracted COVID-19 on the job, a number that is expected to double by early next month, according to a Department of Labor review.
Through mid-June, families of 48 federal workers had filed death claims with the Division of Federal Employees' Compensation.
The report only reflects the number of federal workers or their families who filed claims by June 16 — not the number who actually have contracted the coronavirus or died from it. Reports from individual agencies indicate the number of infections and deaths is much higher.
But the report from the department's inspector general is one of the first centralized assessments of the way the virus is affecting the federal workforce, many of whom have continued to work on site through the pandemic.
Also Read | China-Nepal Railway Project: Chinese Media Releases Visuals of 'Exploration and Survey'.
The inspector general found that the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs was “experiencing or expecting delays and resource management issues as a result of increasing claims or social distancing mandates brought on by the pandemic.”
The inspector general's audit found that as of June 16, the Division of Federal Employees' Compensation had received 2,866 COVID-19 claims, including 48 death claims, and paid out approximately dollar 30,000 in medical benefits and compensation. It estimates that those totals will reach 6,000 claims by early August.
Individual agency reports from the three largest federal agencies — Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security — show the extent of infections and death among workers.
As of July 27, the Defense Department reported 5,373 virus cases among civilian employees, with 33 deaths. Veterans Affairs reports that 41 employees have died.
Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration, two of the largest sub-agencies under the Department of Homeland Security umbrella, report a combined 2,905 infection cases among employees, with 14 deaths.
The government has designated occupations such as law enforcement, first responders, and front-line medical and public health personnel as inherently high-risk.
Employees in those fields only have to report an infection in order to claim compensation. Federal employees in other fields are being asked to prove that they were infected in the course of their duties. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)