Staff was able to locate a listing of states that do provide some level of Worker’s Compensation coverage to disaster relief volunteers as reported in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration website at www.hrsa.gov/esarvhp/legregissues/appendixe.htm. That list is attached. To the best of staff’s knowledge, and the ability to research, no other states provide Worker’s Compensation coverage for disaster relief volunteers.
Discussion
Council can see in Attachment A-1 that the level and mechanism of coverage varies widely from state to state. Staff believes this list is complete, however, it should be noted that without checking pending legislative actions in each state, staff cannot be certain.
Staff was unable to find any other state that had a program similar to that of the Hurricane Relief Program for California State Workers.
Conclusion
Although staff was able to identify states that provide Worker’s Compensation coverage for disaster relief volunteers, staff recognizes that issues related to disaster relief evolve at a rapid rate, typically based on experiences related to particular disaster responses. Staff will continue to watch developments at the local, state, and national levels.