If you injured yourself while working from home in California, your employer might still be liable. Workers’ compensation doesn’t just cover workplace injuries; it covers any injuries sustained during work hours, even if you’re not in the office. However, not everyone who works from home will qualify.
What are the requirements for workers’ comp?
To collect workers’ comp, you’ll need to work for a company that has worker’s compensation insurance. If you’re self-employed or working for a small company, you might not be eligible for worker’s comp. An employment law attorney may give you more information on whether or not you qualify.
If you’re eligible, you’ll need to document the incident as soon as possible. Call your supervisor to tell them what happened, and seek medical attention. You’ll need a paper trail that proves you were injured during your shift. Keep in mind that you can only seek workers’ compensation if you were injured while attending to your work duties. If you tripped and fell at home after your shift was over, you won’t be able to collect workers’ comp.
Once you’ve reported the incident and sought medical treatment, you’ll have to file a claim with your employer’s insurance company. It can be difficult to prove that you were injured at home, so provide as much evidence as possible. You might want to keep a record of your daily schedule so that you’ll always have this information on hand. If the insurance company accepts your claim, you’ll be able to take time off work and collect workers’ compensation while you recuperate.
How do you file for workers’ compensation?
Many people have no idea that they can file for workers’ comp if they’re injured while working from home. Others have no idea how to prove it since their supervisor wasn’t around to witness the incident.
An attorney may assess your situation and figure out if you qualify for workers’ comp. If you do, your attorney might suggest ways that you could build a case for the insurance company and start collecting workers’ comp as soon as possible.