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Legislation Extends Workers' Compensation to Disaster Relief Volunteers
HARRISBURG -- State
Senator Jane Clare Orie (R-40) today announced legislation
designed to extend the Workers' Compensation Act to provide
disaster relief volunteers with the right to receive
compensation resulting directly from an injury sustained
while volunteering.
Senator Orie, who
serves as Vice Chair of the Public Health and Welfare
Committee, said under the current Act temporary volunteers
do not have compensation rights if they are injured while
volunteering.
Orie's proposed
bill protects temporary disaster relief volunteers working
in the Commonwealth and in other states. To be eligible for
compensation, the volunteer must be declared an employee in
the state of Pennsylvania and the injury must be a direct
result of an accident that occurred while the individual was
serving as a volunteer.
"Right now, many
Pennsylvanians are in Louisiana volunteering their time to
aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina," said Orie. "They are
sacrificing time with their family and friends and risking
their own personal safety. It is only fair to offer these
volunteers some form of compensation rights while they are
selflessly helping others."
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