Nebraska Law Would Deny Disability and Death Payments to First Responders in a 9/11-Type Event

Posted on by
Nebraska State Capitol

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.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in 9/11, Disability, First Responders, Reforms, Workers' Compensation and tagged , , , .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *