New York to consider making Lyme disease an occupational illness
- July 22, 2025
- Posted by: Web workers
- Category: Workers Comp
New York lawmakers are considering a bill to make Lyme disease an occupational illness for those working outdoors or with animals.
S.B. 2816, introduced Thursday and referred to the Labor Committee, would amend state law to further define a disability as that which is “caused by or in connection with Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.”
The bill also outlines that treatment “may include intravenous antibiotic therapy, oral antibiotic therapy, or any other treatment, or any combination of treatments, provided such treatment is recommended by a physician” licensed in New York.
Similar legislation was introduced in 2023 and carried over to 2024 but failed to gain traction in both chambers. Experts have long grappled with the long-term effects and treatment of Lyme disease, which has been compared to long COVID in recent years.
