10. Liability for compensation. 1. Every employer subject to this chapter shall in accordance with this chapter, except as otherwise provided in section twenty-five-a hereof, secure compensation to his employees and pay or provide compensation for their disability or death from injury arising out of and in the course of the employment without regard to fault as a cause of the injury, except that there shall be no liability for compensation under this chapter when the injury has been solely occasioned by intoxication from alcohol or a controlled substance of the injured employee while on duty; or by wilful intention of the injured employee to bring about the injury or death of himself or another; or where the injury was sustained in or caused by voluntary participation in an off-duty athletic activity not constituting part of the employee's work related duties unless the employer (a) requires the employee to participate in such activity, (b) compensates the employee for participating in such activity or (c) otherwise sponsors the activity.
2. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, an injury incurred by an individual currently employed as an emergency medical technician or an advanced emergency medical technician who is certified pursuant to section three thousand two of the public health law, while voluntarily and without expectation of monetary compensation rendering medical assistance at the scene of an accident shall be deemed to have arisen out of and in the course of the employment with that emergency medical technician or advanced emergency medical technician's current employer.
3. (a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, where a public safety worker, including but not limited to a firefighter, emergency medical technician, police officer, correction officer, civilian employee of the department of corrections and community supervision or other person employed by the state to work within a correctional facility maintained by the department of corrections and community supervision, driver and medical observer, in the course of performing his or her duties, is exposed to the blood or other bodily fluids of another individual or individuals, the executive officer of the appropriate ambulance, fire or police district may authorize such public safety worker to obtain the care and treatment, including diagnosis, recommended medicine and other medical care needed to ascertain whether such individual was exposed to or contracted any communicable disease and such care and treatment shall be the responsibility of the insurance carrier of the appropriate ambulance, fire or police district or, if a public safety worker was not so exposed in the course of performing his or her duties for such a district, then such person shall be covered for the treatment provided for in this subdivision by the carrier of his or her employer when such person is acting in the scope of his or her employment. For the purpose of this subdivision, the term "public safety worker" shall include persons who act for payment or who act as volunteers in an organized group such as a rescue squad, police department, correctional facility, ambulance corps, fire department, or fire company.
(b) Where a police officer or firefighter subject to section thirty of this article, or emergency medical technician, paramedic, or other person certified to provide medical care in emergencies, or emergency dispatcher files a claim for mental injury premised upon extraordinary work-related stress incurred in a work-related emergency, the board may not disallow the claim, upon a factual finding that the stress was not greater than that which usually occurs in the normal work environment.
4. Any person incarcerated upon conviction of a felony shall be deemed ineligible for all benefits provided under this chapter. All those whose benefits have ceased by operation of this section, may apply to the board for benefits upon their release from custody pursuant to regulation of the board.
Last modified: February 3, 2019