There have never been so many people working from home in our country’s history. While remote working options were already growing, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the hand of many companies that had employees that could continue to offer value at home.
And for many companies, the benefits of having a remote staff are spurring them to continue to offer remote work as a permanent option – even after the pandemic subsides. This means that many employees may spend the rest of their careers working remotely.
Can I Get Workers’ Comp Benefits if I’m Injured Working from Home?
No one expects to get hurt at work. When it does happen, workers’ compensation benefits are available to help pay for medical bills and lost wages. But what if you work from home and are injured at home? Can you still apply for workers’ compensation benefits?
The answer is yes. If you work from home, your house is your new place of business, and getting injured there does potentially qualify you for workers’ comp benefits.
Often, people think that if they are at home and get injured, that it is their fault and they will need to pay for any injuries they receive. But when you work from home, the landscape changes.
Any time you are working from home and are injured, you are potentially eligible to file for workers’ compensation benefits. For example, you could be going to get a drink of water, slip, and fall, and suffer an injury. Something as mundane as that activity that causes a work injury could be compensable.
How Do I Know If My Remote Work Injury is Compensable?
Given that working from home is more widespread than ever, the guidelines around what is compensable with a work injury is coming to light. When working from home, you are essentially a traveling worker, and the benefits of a traveling worker are very broad.
For example, if you travel to another state for your job and are injured in that state, you are in most cases able to apply for workers’ compensation. Working from home is covered in very much the same way.
In the end, the worst that can happen is that your claim is denied. Getting an attorney involved early will help increase your chances of winning your claim. Tabak Law offers free consultations for anyone that is injured while working at home – and we will help walk you through the claim and process. We will never charge any fees unless we take on your claim and win. The consultation is completely risk-free. Contact us today at 844-432-0114.
Our own Attorney Alex Eichhorn was recently featured on WTMJ’s Morning Blend to address this very topic. Watch the video below to learn more.