Workers’ compensation covers work-related injuries suffered by employees whose employers are required by law to have coverage. However, many questions arise when an employee is injured somewhere offsite, such as on a business trip or while running an errand for the employer.
As this can be a complicated issue, you should strongly consider discussing these things with a licensed lawyer, such as one of the licensed attorneys at Geoff McDonald and Associates. You should not take your employer’s or its insurance company’s word for it on your eligibility for benefits. They will look for any reason to deny your claim.
The consultation with the Richmond workers’ compensation lawyers at Geoff McDonald and Associates is free of charge and there is no obligation to take legal action.
Situations Where Offsite Injuries are Likely Covered
The main factor to consider is whether you were engaged in work-related activity while you were offsite. In other words, were your activities for the benefit of your employer?
Some examples of offsite activities that may be covered by workers’ comp include:
- Fitness training required by your employer, which often happens with police and firefighters
- Traveling to a business meeting or to meet with clients
- Providing services at a client’s home or office
- Social events employees are required to attend, such as holiday parties
- Running an errand related to your job or an errand requested by your supervisor
In general, injuries that happen during these activities are covered by the workers’ compensation system. However, with fitness training, approval for workers’ comp is generally dependent on the employee specifying where he or she was doing training, what would be involved and when it will take place.
Every situation is unique, so you should discuss it with a licensed attorney. You may be eligible for workers’ compensation to help you through this difficult time.
Offsite Injuries That are Unlikely to be Covered
If you go offsite to get lunch and you get injured, you are unlikely to be eligible for workers’ comp. However, if you eat at a company-operated cafeteria and you get injured, you may be eligible for benefits.
Injuries that happen in the parking lot are probably not covered, as you may be clocked out at the time. For example, if you slip and fall while walking from your car in the morning, the injury is unlikely to be covered.
Injuries during your commute to work and commute home are generally not covered. The situation could be more complicated if you are driving a company car or your employer reimburses you for your mileage.
No matter how the injury happened, report it right away. It may or may not be covered, but if you wait to report it, you could be hurting your chances of being approved for benefits. Immediately reporting an injury helps link it to the accident, making it harder for employers to argue that you were injured because of something else.
You should also immediately seek medical treatment so your injuries can be diagnosed. Tell the doctor how the injury happened to help link it to the accident when you file a workers’ comp claim.
Were You Injured Offsite? Call Today to Discuss Your Potential Claim
The workers’ compensation process can be complicated, particularly if your claim was denied or there are questions about whether your injury was related to your work.
You can ask our attorneys about your claim in a free legal consultation, with no obligation to take legal action. That means there is no risk to you in contacting us about your situation.
We have helped many workers recover workers’ compensation benefits. Our firm has obtained hundreds of millions in compensation on behalf of our clients.
