There are some industries where you might not be entitled to collect work comp benefits for your injury.
Securing a new position at a company can be very exciting, especially if it provides perks that your prior job didn’t offer. Many different arrangements are made in the workplace, and never before has it been so easy to work in different capacities than just the standard 9-to-5. So, if you have found a position that isn’t the typical job involving punching in and out on a time clock, that can be a nice feeling. But what if you are injured on the job – are you eligible to collect workmens comp benefits at your new position?
Missouri Workmens Comp Laws
In Missouri, a company or business is required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. This coverage ensures that if someone is hurt on the job, the company has the means to pay for any injuries that the employee sustains. It also is an insurance policy that protect employers and companies from losing everything due to one bad injury.
However, not everyone is entitled to workers’ compensation and it does not cover all types of employment or positions. There are some arrangements and industries that aren’t mandated by the state to insure the people who work for them. Typically, freelance workers, independent contractors, child-care workers, offshore workers and certain seasonal employees are not entitled to workers’ compensation insurance. So if you are hurt on the job, and you have an arrangement with an employer that is not a standard employee/employer relationship, then you might not be entitled to collect for your injury.
There are times when employers will try to prove that someone working for them wasn’t really an “employee” in order to deny them workers’ compensation coverage. They can claim that a worker was an independent contractor, or that they had an otherwise non-traditional contract. In doing so, they can attempt to limit their own liability and not have to pay a workers’ compensation claim.
Why Knowing Where you Stand is Critical to being Covered
If you have a non-traditional arrangement with your employer, it is important to make it very clear what the contract entails and whether you are entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits if you are hurt on the job. You don’t physically have to be at the place of employment to be covered. As long as you were performing under the scope and authority of your employer when you were injured, you should be eligible. But that is not the case if you are not an employee – which is why defining your position is essential to being protected while working.
Before you decide to accept a non-conventional position with a company, make sure that you know what your rights are when it comes to workers’ compensation so that you aren’t in a position where you get hurt and you are solely financially responsible for your injuries. That can leave you in a bad financial situation. If you have a Missouri employer who is denying you coverage through workers’ compensation and you believe that it is unfair, then speak to a St. Louis workers’ compensation attorney today.