By Cheryl Howland Bowsfield, Senior Defense Counsel with SFM's in-house law firm

While the federal mandate that large employers must vaccinate employees against COVID-19 was struck down by the United States Supreme Court, employers can still encourage or require employees to vaccinate against COVID-19. This raises the question of compensability for adverse reactions from the COVID-19 vaccine, and related medical treatment and time lost from work. A key factor for workers’ compensation compensability is whether the vaccination was required by the employer.

As with the flu vaccine, the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have both confirmed that employers can mandate that their workers receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. Those employers that choose to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine will need to accommodate waivers or exemptions for employees objecting on health or religious reasons. Other employers may decide to encourage the vaccine, but not mandate it, by offering on-site vaccinations, payment or reimbursement of vaccine costs, monetary incentives, or as a part of an employer’s wellness program to encourage employees to be vaccinated.

A second key factor for compensability is whether the side effects that occurred from undergoing a COVID-19 vaccination rise to the level of an injury or illness, temporary or permanent. To date, the reported COVID-19 vaccine side effects mirror those that have been seen with the flu vaccine. The most common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine include swelling or pain at the injection site, tiredness, muscle pain, chills, joint pain and fever. These are usually mild in nature and resolve on their own in a few days. Severe allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccination requiring treatment have been reported as rare according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

What does all this mean in the context of workers’ compensation? Is an adverse vaccine reaction compensable? The answer is that it depends.

To determine whether an adverse reaction is compensable will require an investigation into the facts of each claim, receipt of medical records and consideration of the following:

• Was the vaccine mandated by the employer?
• Was undergoing the vaccine a condition of employment?
• Was there something specific to the employment and/or job duties that put the employee at an increased risk for exposure to COVID-19?
• Does undergoing the vaccine in some way further the business of the employer?
• Is the employee working with COVID-19 positive patients?
• Is the employee required to work with the public?
• Was the vaccine administered at work while the employee was working and being paid?
• Did the employee, for personal reasons outside of their employment, undergo the vaccine?

In states such as Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Kansas, consideration of the specific circumstances of the vaccination that caused the adverse reaction, as suggested by the questions above, will help to guide the determination of compensability.

For Minnesota claims, there is an additional statutory provision that may need to be considered. MN Stat. 176.011, Subd. 16 specifically states “an injury or disease resulting from a vaccine in response to a declaration by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to ‘address an actual or potential health risk’ related to the employee’s employment is an injury or disease arising out of and in the course of employment.” Thus, in Minnesota where the COVID-19 vaccine reaction rises to the level of an injury or disease, and was related to the employee's employment, the medical treatment and any lost time from work most likely would be compensable.

If an employer mandates vaccination, or strongly encourages the employee to obtain the vaccine for work-related reasons, the scales will more likely tip in favor of compensability.

The COVID-19 vaccine-related reaction claims may contain varying facts and medical situations. Please contact your attorney before making any employment or workers’ compensation liability determinations.

This is not intended to serve as legal advice for individual fact-specific legal cases or as a legal basis for your employment practices.