Do the workers’ compensation benefits with your company still cover your injury, or do you need to use your private health insurance?
Since the outbreak of coronavirus, many new questions have arisen concerning workers’ compensation claims. Working remotely from home has become a new reality for thousands of workers. Therefore, what happens if you are injured at home while working? Do the workers’ compensation benefits with your company still cover your injury, or do you need to use your private health insurance? As is the case with most legal questions, the answer depends on several factors.
General Workers’ Compensation Coverage
If you are injured in the course and scope of your employment, you should be covered by your company’s workers’ comp insurance. This is true even if the injury occurred due to your negligence. Because of the number of people that now work from home, the question of who pays for your injury has been brought to the forefront. However, workers’ comp benefits for offsite injuries is not a new subject.
As a general rule, employees are covered by their employers if they suffer a work injury. The primary factor in these types of cases is whether or not the injury is actually work-related. When working from home, proving this tends to be much more complicated.
Certain questions can help determine whether or not an injury is work-related. A few of these include:
- Was the employee required by the employer to engage in the activity that caused the injury?
- Had the employer given approval of the off-site activity in advance?
- Was the injury caused by equipment that is the property of the employer or business?
Some injuries, such as repetitive stress injuries, would likely be covered because they occur whether a person is working at home or in the office setting.
What You Should Do
If you are an employee working from home and have been injured while working, you no doubt have many questions. Businesses that are employing remote workers are dealing with unique safety concerns related to the changing work environment. If this is the case with your company, you may have many challenges to overcome when presenting your work injury claim. If your claim is denied, contact a St. Louis Work Injury Attorney.
At the Law Office of James M. Hoffmann, our legal team has a strong history of helping injured workers get the medical attention and financial compensation that they need. Contact our St. Louis, Missouri workers compensation law firm to ensure that your rights are protected.