Governor JB Pritzker has signed legislation that will retroactively provide disability benefits for Chicago police and firefighters who were kept off the job for extended periods of time after contracting COVID-19.
Comptroller Susana Mendoza had pushed for the change to the state’s Act of Duty law after her brother, a Chicago cop, was denied disability benefits, even though he lost his kidneys and suffered multiple strokes because of complications from COVID.
Supporters of the bill say it will give Chicago first responders the same benefits and protections as those in the rest of the state.
The retroactive benefits apply to Chicago personnel sickened between March of 2020 and June of 2021, during a time when vaccines were not widely available.
