ECC clarifies COVID-19 infection while working from home is not compensable

The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) on Thursday clarified that a worker who contracted COVID-19 while working from home is not entitled for benefits under its Employees Compensation Program (ECP).

“I just want to clarify that sickness while working from home is not covered, only injuries,” ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis said in a mix of English and Filipino during state-run PTV’s Laging Handa briefing.

“COVID-19 infection contracted while at home is not covered in the resolution we issued,” Banawis said.

The ECC Board Resolution issued No. 21-03-09 or a policy on “the compensability of disability or death due to injuries sustained by employees in the public and private sector while in the performance of their duties or assigned tasks in their residences or dwelling places.” 

This means that disability or death due to injuries sustained by an employee while working from home is now compensable under the ECP, “provided that there is a written directive or order from his or her employer requiring a work-from-home arrangement or the performance of a specific task within a specified period at the residence or dwelling place of the employee.”

Under the ECP, workers who suffer from work-related sickness, injury, or death are entitled to benefits such as loss of income benefits, medical benefits, and death and funeral benefits.

“Those who got COVID-19 infection while working from home are not covered under the EC program as it only  provides for injuries sustained at home,” Banawis said.

Nonetheless, she said that if a worker got COVID-19 infection from the workplace or while commuting to and from work he/she may be entitled for compensation under ECP.

The ECC earlier included COVID-19 in its list of occupational and work-related compensable diseases. 

To avail of benefits under ECP, however, a worker must prove that he/she got the infection in any of the following circumstances:

• There must be a direct connection between the offending agent or event and the worker based on epidemiological criteria and occupational risk (e.g. healthcare workers, screening and contact tracing teams etc.)
• The tasks assigned to the worker would require frequent face-to-face and close proximity interaction with the public or with confirmed cases for healthcare workers
• Transmission occurred in the workplace
• Transmission occurred while commuting to and from work

Banawis said those who want to avail of benefits under the ECP can apply to implementing agencies such as the Social Security System (SSS) for private sector workers and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for public sector workers. — RSJ, GMA News