As the number of remote workers in Pennsylvania continues to increase, more questions regarding employment benefits are coming up. One of the most common is regarding worker’s compensation. Remote workers want to know if they’re still covered under worker’s compensation in the event that they’re injured while at home.
What qualifies as a covered injury?
When it comes to worker’s compensation, it’s important to understand what qualifies as a covered injury. Any injury that occurs while an employee is doing their job is covered under worker’s compensation. While you may think of an injury as something sudden such as a burn, that’s not always the case. Some injuries may develop over a period of time, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
If you’re used to working in an office, you may be confused about whether or not worker’s compensation covers an injury when you’re outside of the office. The truth is that not all individuals work in an office. Many of those in the service profession work out of people’s homes or office buildings. When these individuals get injured on the job, worker’s compensation benefits are covered. With this reasoning, it becomes very clear that remote workers are covered underneath worker’s compensation.
Unfortunately, it’s not always black and white
Because many workers are working remotely, it does raise concerns of whether or not a person was actually working when they were injured or if they were doing personal tasks around their homes. This has blurred the line between what is covered under worker’s compensation and what isn’t. Each state law differs slightly depending on the definition of what is considered a work-related injury
As the number of remote workers continues to rise, so does the questionability of worker’s compensation. Workers may start to find it necessary to have a plethora of evidence to prove that they were indeed indulged in a work-related task when their injury occurred to be covered. It’s always advisable to talk to an attorney if you’re unsure whether or not your injury should be covered under worker’s compensation.