West Virginia Public News Service – The flu is flying around West Virginia, but there may be a partial cure in an unexpected place – through paid sick days. Read
Supporters are pushing both Congress and the West Virginia Legislature to expand the types of workers who can earn paid time off when they are ill. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s coming just as the state is seeing a pretty bad flu season.
Erin Snyder, a health-policy analyst for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, said sick leave is a good public-health tool because it can slow the spread of infectious disease.
“The problem is that 44 percent of the private-sector workforce in West Virginia does not have access to sick days,” she said, “and therefore does not have the option to stay home when they’re sick.”
