Suffering an injury through the course of your day is never something you wake up to do. However, sometimes accidents happen and you may find yourself out of work after getting hurt.
Does your accident qualify you to receive workers’ compensation benefits? To receive medical care and pay for missed time off work due to the injury, the accident must rise to certain benchmarks, like it must have occurred during the scope of your employment. See if your claim may qualify under this qualification.
Scope of employment defined
When the term “scope of employment” gets thrown around, it generally means something that happens during the everyday events of your work day. It is a normal occurrence. It is not a special project or a task that you only do once in a while. It is part of the successful performance of your job. Therefore, if you normally make a run in your car to the courthouse during the course of your day and get into a car accident, the incident may qualify for workers’ compensation coverage as driving to the courthouse is part of your duties.
Determining an incident was outside the scope of employment
Did you go on your lunch break to drop by the courthouse to see a friend? If you got into an accident and were not performing a work-related task, the incident and subsequent injury do not rise to the level of workers’ compensation coverage. Examples of outside the scope of employment include:
- Accidents occurring while on break
- Incidents at the workplace after business hours when there is no expectation of your presence there
- Stops for personal tasks while out doing something work-related
Injuries that sideline you for a while can devastate your bottom line. If you want to confirm whether you qualify for workers’ compensation benefits, check with an attorney who can assist you.
