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2009 SESSION

098560428
HOUSE BILL NO. 2243
House Amendments in [ ] – February 9, 2009
A BILL for the relief of Kurt E. Beach.
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Patron Prior to Engrossment--Delegate Barlow
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Referred to Committee on Appropriations
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Whereas, Kurt E. Beach (Beach) is a resident of Smithfield, Virginia; and

Whereas, in 1988, Beach was serving as a police officer with the Town of Smithfield, Virginia; and

Whereas, on February 22, 1988, Beach, while in the line of duty, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a nine-month-old infant in an attempt to save the infant's life; and

Whereas, the infant had undergone multiple blood transfusions and as a result had become infected with hepatitis C; and

Whereas, during the course of performing CPR on the infant, Beach came into contact with the infant's blood; and

Whereas, Beach continued a successful career on the town's police force for several years; and

Whereas, on January 6, 1995, Beach first became aware that he had been infected with hepatitis C during a routine screening of his blood that he had donated; and

Whereas, this routine screening for the blood donation was the first screening that Beach had undergone since the contact with the infant in 1988; and

Whereas, as soon as he found out about the infection and without undue delay, Beach filed a claim under the Workers' Compensation Act because he had contracted hepatitis C from the infant while performing CPR in the line of duty; and

Whereas, Beach's claim was initially denied by a Deputy Commissioner of the Workers' Compensation Commission who found that the claim was not filed within five years of the date of injurious exposure in the employment; and

Whereas, Beach subsequently filed an appeal and on July 10, 1996, the Commission affirmed the denial; and

Whereas, as a result of the hepatitis C infection that was contracted while in the line of duty, Beach has incurred extensive medical bills and is currently awaiting a liver transplant; and

Whereas, Beach is unable to pay for the medical bills and mounting costs associated with treating the infection; and

Whereas, Kurt E. Beach has no other means to obtain adequate relief except by action of this body; now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  § 1. That [ to the extent private insurance is insufficient to cover his health care costs, ] there shall be paid for the relief of Kurt E. Beach from the [ general fund of the state treasury Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission ] , upon execution of a release of all claims he may have against the Commonwealth or any agency, instrumentality, officer, employee, or political subdivision in connection with the aforesaid occurrence, the sum of $250,000 to be paid to Kurt E. Beach in the following manner: (i) $50,000 shall be payable on or before August 1, 2009, by check issued by the State Treasurer on warrant of the Comptroller, and (ii) the remaining amount of the award shall be payable in 10 equal installments of $20,000 on August 1 of each year from 2010 through 2020, by check issued by the State Treasurer on warrant of the Comptroller.