field officer Kurt Beach wants workers' compensation law changed

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Isle of Wight

field officer Kurt Beach wants workers' compensation law changed

Diseases By T.

January 13, 2010

ISLE OF WIGHT — This time last year, field police Lt. Kurt Beach was

fighting for his life.

Now Beach — who received a lifesaving liver transplant last April — is fighting

to change the workers' compensation law that restricts the time workers have to

file claims for certain illnesses contracted in the line of duty.

Beach's health problems were intensified with red tape, created by a state law

that requires workers' compensation claims to be filed within five years of the

worker's exposure to the disease. Now he is working to make sure no first

responder — including police officers, firefighters or paramedics — dealing with

a medical problem contracted through work is trapped in the same insurance maze.

" This law needs to be rewritten with the statue of limitations removed, " said

Beach. " I have difficulty believing they want to keep that old law on the books.

It's almost like keeping a horse and buggy law on the books. "

He plans to rally grass-roots support from other first responders to lobby their

respective lawmakers to bring change to the current law.

Del. K. Barlow, D-field, said he plans to introduce a bill giving

workers exposed to certain diseases — including hepatitis, meningococcal

meningitis or tuberculosis — more time to file workers' compensation claims. But

a similar bill he introduced last year died in committee, Barlow said.

" It's extremely hard to get workers' compensation laws changed to provide

greater coverage to the workers because it results in higher costs for the

employers, " he said.

He estimates there is only a 50 percent chance the bill would pass if it makes

it to the floor of the General Assembly.

Although Beach still takes daily anti-rejection drugs and has to undergo monthly

medical testing, he looks healthy and is back at work.

" I'm doing great. I am so blessed, " said Beach.

Beach's outlook wasn't so sunny last fall, when his wife, Kathie Beach, made a

public plea for a living donor — someone who would be willing to donate part of

his liver — to save her husband's life.

Beach's liver problems were traced to 1988, when the rookie police officer

contracted hepatitis C after giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a dying

infant. But it wasn't until 1995 — eight years later — that Beach, while

donating blood, learned he had hepatitis C.

All his workers' compensation claims related to the hepatitis since 1995 were

denied, Beach said. Last year, the legislature awarded him $250,000 to help pay

mounting medical expenses — $50,000 on Aug. 1, 2009, with the remainder to be

awarded in 10 annual installments of $20,000.

, Newport News, Va., Daily Press