Are Remote Workers Covered By Workers Compensation In Minnesota?

Remote work has become much more common due in large part to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Many companies allowed employees to work remotely in order to cut down on possible virus transmission, and they found that employees can still be incredibly productive without needing to always be in the office. A lot of business is conducted completely or partially remotely nowadays, but do the same workers’ compensation rules apply to employees who are no longer in the office? We explore whether or not remote workers are covered by workers’ compensation in today’s blog.

Can I Collect Workers’ Compensation If I Work From Home?

The main premise of workers’ compensation is that employees are protected if they are injured during the course of their work duties, which means that if your injuries are directly tied to your employment, it should not matter where the injury occurred. If you work a desk job and develop carpal tunnel syndrome that your doctor believes is tied to your employment, it doesn’t matter whether you were working in the office or conducting work from a laptop at home. Your injuries were a direct result of your work duties, and thus would be compensable under Minnesota workers’ compensation.

Of course, things get a little more complicated if you suffer an acute injury at home. In theory, you should absolutely still be covered by workers’ compensation if you suffered an injury while working from home. If you’re walking downstairs to get a cup of coffee and you slip and fracture your ankle, you should be covered by workers’ compensation. If you fell while walking to the break room in pursuit of a cup of coffee, your injuries would be covered, and the same rules should apply here. You can expect some pushback from the insurance company, but if you have an experienced lawyer by your side, you should be able to earn compensation.

With that said, not all injuries that occur in your home are compensable by workers’ compensation simply because they happened during a period when you were on the clock. If you went outside to grab the mail and fell, you’re going to have a tough time getting compensation. However, if you were walking to the mailbox to send some work documents, then the injury might be covered.

As you can imagine, these remote injury cases will be determined on a case-by-case basis, and because they won’t typically be as straightforward as an in-office injury, it is in your best interest to have an experienced lawyer by your side to build your claim. The insurance company will almost assuredly deny your initial claim request simply because your claim may be a little unorthodox and they want more information, and don’t let this discourage you. Instead, make sure that your remote injury claim is airtight because it was developed by a professional.

If you suffered an acute or chronic injury that you believe is tied to your remote work duties, you need to reach out to a lawyer to learn about your compensation options. Your company and their insurance provider won’t jump at the chance to provide you with a payout, but the fact of the matter is you’re a protected employee with rights. If you were truly injured during the course of your work duties or while performing work-related actions, it doesn’t matter if the injury happens at the business or while you are working remotely. You are protected by the workers’ compensation system, and we’ll work hard to get you the compensation you deserve.

If you work partially or fully remote and have questions about an injury claim or whether or not you have a valid argument for compensation, reach out to Dean and the team at Margolis Law Firm today at (952) 230-2700.