Nebraska State Capitol
As we shared in an earlier post, the first responders in the 9/11 attack are being diagnosed with cancer and other diseases at a rate higher than the general public, most likely because of their exposure to the World Trade Center’s deadly dust. But it can take 30 years or more for many of the diseases, disabilities and deaths to actually strike. Many, if not most, of the victims will be retired and earning no wages by the time they get sick.
Bottom line: Nebraska law needs to be changed to treat our workers and their families better
If an event like 9/11 tragically took place in Nebraska, what would happen to the first responders? If, many years later, they got sick and disabled or died because of things they were exposed to in the line of duty, would they receive workers’ compensation payments?
Shockingly, the answer is no. The doctors and hospitals would get paid but the worker would not and in the event of death the surviving spouse wouldn’t even get enough to pay for the average cost of a funeral.
Currently, Nebraska law doesn’t provide workers’ compensation payments for a worker who becomes disabled or dies when retired because of products they were exposed to on the job. A surviving spouse also doesn’t receive payments. The law also won’t provide compensation for retired workers who are diagnosed with cancer and other diseases caused by products at work.
For Nebraska workers who suffer such harm to receive justice, they have to take on the manufacturers of the dangerous products. Doing this is much harder than receiving benefits from the workers’ compensation system.
Unlike Nebraska, many other states allow workers’ compensation benefits to be paid when product exposure causes illness in workers well after the date of exposure. And the fact is, these situations are very common.
Bottom line: Nebraska law needs to be changed to treat our workers and their families better
Check-in with us again for more information on why Nebraska law doesn’t provide workers’ compensation benefits for workers with diseases caused by exposure to hazardous products on the job.