With the rise of quarantine restrictions placed on American workers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a lot of workers that used to spend their weekdays at an office that are now working from home. Though you might think that working from home is a relatively safe environment, there are several things that can happen to an employee at home that may entitle them to receive workers' compensation from their employer. If you are injured while working from home and you think you may be entitled to payment of some kind, contact a workers' compensation law attorney for more details.

Can You Receive Workers Compensation If You Work From Home?

The short answer to this question is: It depends. Though the specific statutes vary from state to state, most areas have regulations that allow for employees to file legitimate workers' compensation claims for sustaining an injury while working from home. Your local workers' compensation attorney should be able to help you navigate the specifics, but the main deciding factor is whether or not you were injured in a work-related accident.

An example of a legitimate work-from-home accident is picking up a stack of manuals that are needed to answer client questions, or slipping while walking in your home office during a conference call, it's technically during a work-related activity and therefore may be entitled to a claim. Even something long term, like developing carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of excessive typing, can be considered an accident that is eligible for workers' compensation.

It's important to remember that not all accidents at home are work-related. Breaking your toy while mowing the lawn after you've worked for several hours is not work-related, but slipping in the kitchen while you walk to the coffee pot in between conference calls can be. Once again, it's best to contact a workers' compensation law attorney to help work out the specifics.

What to Do If You're Injured

If you've been injured at home during what you believe is a legitimate work-related incident, the first thing you should do is contact your supervisor and find out what healthcare locations are covered under your company's health plan. Then, document the incident. Take pictures, collect doctor's notes, collect statements from witnesses — anything you can do to bolster your case that it happened while you were working. Then, contact a workers' compensation attorney to determine the next steps. 

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