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Workers Comp coverage when working from home?

Updated: Dec 20, 2021

1. Workers compensation is a type of insurance that protects employees in the event of an injury on the job

2. This coverage can be applied to work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths

3. The time that a worker's compensation claim must be filed differs by state

4. The employer is responsible for paying all medical bills related to your workplace injury

5. If you are injured at home, it may not be covered by workers' comp because it was not sustained on the job

6. You should always file a report with your employer if you are injured at work, so they know what happened and can help you get back on track as quickly as possible.




If you work from home, are you covered for workers comp if you are injured? The short answer is maybe.


It all depends on the specific nature of the injury, the state of the workplace, and the details of the insured’s remote-work policy. This is a moving target, and both employees and employers need to understand the expectations and the rules thoroughly. If you are working from home, ask your human resources contact.


How do you define “work-related injuries” for remote workers? In general, an employee's injury or illness is compensable under workers’ comp insurance if it “arises out of and in the course of employment,” regardless of where the injury occurs. “Arising out of” relates to what the employee was doing at the time of the injury, and “in the course of” relates to when the injury happened.


This will be a moving target as "Upwork estimates that 22% of the workforce (36.2 million Americans) will work remotely by 2025."


State laws differ regarding what’s considered a “work-related injury.” Hence, it’s essential to define each employee’s regular working hours and specific job duties to help determine what is — and is not — a work-related claim. See the summary below:



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