# Plain Language Summary: Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act of 2021

This bill creates a federal compensation fund to pay essential workers and their family members who got sick or died from COVID-19 during the pandemic. If you were designated as an essential worker by your state, local government, or federal agencies during any COVID-19 emergency period, and you contracted COVID-19 and suffered financial losses because of it, you could potentially receive money through this program. The same applies if you're a family member who lived with an essential worker and caught COVID-19 from them, or if you're filing a claim on behalf of someone who died from the virus.

The bill sets up a special administrator (called a "Special Master") who would handle all the claims. You'd fill out a form describing your illness, your work as an essential worker, and the financial harm you experienced—things like lost wages, medical bills, or funeral costs. The Special Master would review your claim and decide if you qualify and how much compensation you deserve. Importantly, the program wouldn't require you to prove anyone was negligent or at fault; it's designed to compensate people regardless of how they caught the virus. However, if you've already received money from other sources like insurance, workers' compensation, or government benefits, that amount would be subtracted from what you receive through this fund.

You'd have five years from the end of the COVID-19 emergency period to file your claim. The bill also covers both financial losses (like medical expenses and lost income) and non-financial suffering (like pain and emotional distress), though the Special Master would set limits on how much you could receive for the non-financial losses. The government would set up an office to help people understand and submit their claims, and you'd have the right to hire a lawyer to represent you during the process. The bill authorizes funding for the program, though it also allows private donations to contribute to the compensation fund.

Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act of 2021

Maloney, Carolyn B.

Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act of 2021 This bill allows essential workers and their family members to file claims and receive compensation for harm or death suffered as a result of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). A Special Master appointed by the Department of Justice must review claims submitted and determine if a claimant&nbsp;is eligible for compensation, the extent of the harm to the claimant, and the amount of compensation to be awarded.