---
type: "Bill"
title: "Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for COVID-19."
description: "Workers' compensation; presumption of compensabilityfor COVID-19. Establishes a presumption that COVID-19 causingthe death or disability of firefighters, emergency medical servicespersonnel, law-enforcement officers, and correctional officers isan occupational disease compensable under the Workers' CompensationAct. The bill provides that the COVID-19 virus is established bya positive diagnostic test for COVID-19, an incubation period consistentwith COVID-19, and signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that require medicaltreatment. The bill provides that such presumption applies to anydeath or disability occurring on or after March 12, 2020, causedby infection from the COVID-19 virus, provided that for any suchdeath or disability that occurred on or after March 12, 2020, andprior to December 31, 2021, the claimant received a diagnosis ofCOVID-19 from a licensed physician, after either a presumptive positivetest or a laboratory confirmed test for COVID-19, and presented withsigns and symptoms of COVID-19 that required medical treatment."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 2207"
citation: "Virginia HB 2207 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Jerrauld C. \"Jay\" Jones"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 59
vote_count: 18
first_action: "2021-01-13"
last_action: "2021-04-07"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/09e3f204-6186-40ca-b6d4-c221957b7305"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+HB2207"
source_hash: "9ee0113ed4d3d6ea5f8235b8d8eef4354c5558c2a8b1e69efdcc83c1078f4843"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 2207 (2021) — Workers' compensation; presumption of compensability for COVID-19.

Workers' compensation; presumption of compensabilityfor COVID-19. Establishes a presumption that COVID-19 causingthe death or disability of firefighters, emergency medical servicespersonnel, law-enforcement officers, and correctional officers isan occupational disease compensable under the Workers' CompensationAct. The bill provides that the COVID-19 virus is established bya positive diagnostic test for COVID-19, an incubation period consistentwith COVID-19, and signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that require medicaltreatment. The bill provides that such presumption applies to anydeath or disability occurring on or after March 12, 2020, causedby infection from the COVID-19 virus, provided that for any suchdeath or disability that occurred on or after March 12, 2020, andprior to December 31, 2021, the claimant received a diagnosis ofCOVID-19 from a licensed physician, after either a presumptive positivetest or a laboratory confirmed test for COVID-19, and presented withsigns and symptoms of COVID-19 that required medical treatment.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **CHAP0547** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0547)
2. **Committee substitute printed 21200212D-S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2207S1)
3. **HB2207ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2207ER)
4. **HB2207ER2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2207ER2)
5. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100861D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2207)

## Votes

- VOTE: Passage (99-Y 0-N 1-A) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: REJECTED (0-Y 98-N) — **0–97** (fail) · lower
- Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Labor and Commerce (21-Y 1-N) — **21–1** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Adoption (97-Y 0-N 2-A) — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate with substitute (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Agreed To (97-Y 0-N 1-A) — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N) — **6–2** (pass) · lower
- Senate insisted on substitute (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate with substitute (38-Y 0-N) — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Jerrauld C. "Jay" Jones — primary (person)
- Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)
- Elizabeth R. Guzman — cosponsor (person)
- Kaye Kory — cosponsor (person)
- Lee J. Carter — cosponsor (person)
- Mark D. Sickles — cosponsor (person)
- Patrick A. Hope — cosponsor (person)
- Paul E. Krizek — cosponsor (person)
- Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-01-13** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100861D `introduction`
- **2021-01-13** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-18** Assigned L & C sub: Subcommittee #1 `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-19** Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N)
- **2021-01-21** Reported from Labor and Commerce (21-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-21** Referred to Committee on Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-22** Assigned App. sub: Compensation & General Government `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-22** Impact statement from DPB (HB2207)
- **2021-01-29** Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)
- **2021-01-29** Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-02** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2021-02-03** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2021-02-04** Read third time and passed House (99-Y 0-N 1-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-02-04** VOTE: Passage (99-Y 0-N 1-A)
- **2021-02-05** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2021-02-05** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-05** Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-15** Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-15** Committee substitute printed 21200212D-S1 `substitution`
- **2021-02-15** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-17** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-17** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-18** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-18** Reading of substitute waived
- **2021-02-18** Committee substitute agreed to 21200212D-S1
- **2021-02-18** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB2207S1
- **2021-02-18** Passed Senate with substitute (38-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-18** Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-18** Passed Senate with substitute (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-18** Impact statement from DPB (HB2207S1)
- **2021-02-22** Placed on Calendar
- **2021-02-22** Senate substitute rejected by House 21200212D-S1 (0-Y 98-N)
- **2021-02-22** VOTE: REJECTED (0-Y 98-N)
- **2021-02-23** Senate insisted on substitute (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-23** Senate requested conference committee
- **2021-02-24** House acceded to request
- **2021-02-24** Conferees appointed by House
- **2021-02-25** Conferees appointed by Senate
- **2021-02-27** Amended by conference committee
- **2021-02-27** Conference report agreed to by House (97-Y 0-N 1-A)
- **2021-02-27** VOTE: Agreed To (97-Y 0-N 1-A)
- **2021-02-27** Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-03-09** Enrolled
- **2021-03-09** Signed by President
- **2021-03-11** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-03-12** Impact statement from DPB (HB2207ER)
- **2021-03-15** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 15, 2021
- **2021-03-15** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
- **2021-03-31** Governor's recommendation received by House
- **2021-04-07** Placed on Calendar
- **2021-04-07** House concurred in Governor's recommendation (97-Y 0-N 2-A)
- **2021-04-07** VOTE: Adoption (97-Y 0-N 2-A)
- **2021-04-07** Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N)
- **2021-04-07** Governor's recommendation adopted
- **2021-04-07** Reenrolled
- **2021-04-07** Reenrolled bill text (HB2207ER2)
- **2021-04-07** Signed by Speaker as reenrolled
- **2021-04-07** Signed by President as reenrolled
- **2021-04-07** Enacted, Chapter 547 (effective 7/1/21) `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/09e3f204-6186-40ca-b6d4-c221957b7305`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).