If you’re a remote worker, rest assured that workers’ compensation benefits for remote employees of an organization exist. Remote workers receive the same benefits as onsite counterparts, but the process can be slightly different due to some key factors.
Whether you are a remote or an in-person employee and have suffered a workplace injury or become ill due to work-related reasons, it’s vital to secure a skilled workers’ compensation attorney like those at Eason & Tambornini.
Here are some common questions that the growing number of remote employees in California are asking.
- What exactly is workers’ compensation for remote workers?
Workers’ compensation is a system of benefits that provides financial and medical support to employees who have experienced a work-related injury or illness, whether an employee works remotely or onsite.
- Are remote workers entitled to the same workers’ compensation benefits?
Yes, remote workers are entitled to the same workers’ compensation benefits as their colleagues who work in any organization’s brick-and-mortar location.
- What happens when a remote employee is injured “on the job”?
The workers’ compensation process begins the same way for onsite workers: If you are a remote worker injured while working, notify your employer and get the needed paperwork to start your claim, then seek medical treatment. Get immediate medical attention before anything else if your injury is critical or life-threatening.
- As a remote worker, how do I know if the injury qualifies as work-related?
One key difference between remote and onsite workers’ compensation claims is determining if an injury or illness happened during the execution of work-related tasks. The basic idea is that if the injury or illness occurred while the employee was working, it should be claimable under workers’ compensation law, regardless of remote or in-person employee status.
- Are there rules about choosing a medical provider for remote employees?
This is another significant difference between remote and in-person employees. Often, remote employees have more flexibility when choosing their medical professional, and that’s because an employee may not work in the same city, region, or even state or country that the employer is located in. In traditional workers’ compensation, when employees are in the same general area as the employer, employees are sometimes required to go to a designated medical provider or given a list to choose from.
- Do remote workers’ compensation claims take longer to process?
Remote employees may experience the workers’ compensation claim process taking slightly longer than traditional employee claims for a few reasons. The first was mentioned: it sometimes takes longer to determine whether a remote worker’s injury is work-related. Next, remote workers’ compensation claims can be slowed down because the claimant chooses to use their medical provider, which could delay appointments and treatment, affecting medical evidence gathering. Finally, delays can result from the various key people, including the employer, potentially being in different time zones.
- Do remote workers’ claims take less priority than in-person employees’ claims?
No. Remote workers have a right to timely processing their claims by employers and insurance companies. Remote workers are entitled to the same benefits, and their claims fall under the exact legal requirements and guidelines. Just like with in-person employee claims, the workers’ compensation insurance company the claim is filed with has 90 days to accept or deny it.
Suppose you are a remote worker injured or ill due to work-related conditions or events. In that case, you need an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to advocate for you to receive fair compensation aggressively. Contact Eason & Tambornini today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your situation.
