Covered Injuries
- What types of injuries are covered by workers’ compensation?
- Am I covered for a non-work related medical condition that got worse
because of a work injury?
- Does workers’ compensation only cover me for injuries that occur
at my workplace?
- Am I covered for injuries that occur while coming to work or
leaving work after my shift?
- I’ve been overusing my left hand since I injured my
right hand at work. Now, my left hand is bothering me. Is that covered
by workers’ compensation?
1. What types of injuries are covered by workers’ compensation?
Any injury that arises out of the scope and course of employment
is covered unless it was caused intentionally by the injured worker or
from his/her intoxication. A covered injury can be one that was caused
by a specific incident such as lifting or falling. It can also be one
that doesn’t have a specific date of incident but was caused by the
constant or repetitive stresses of the job. Illnesses and diseases like
lung disorders, heart attacks and stress related problems that were
caused by the nature of the job are also covered.
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2. Am I covered for a non-work related medical condition that got
worse because of a work injury?
Yes. A covered injury can also be a pre-existing condition that was
not work related but was aggravated by a specific injury or the constant
or repetitive stresses of the job. It is typically said that an employer
takes its employees as it finds them. This means that an employer is
responsible to pay workers’ compensation if a pre-existing medical
problem was aggravated by a work related injury.
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3. Does workers’ compensation only cover me for injuries that occur
at my workplace?
No. Some injuries occur while traveling for an employer, while on a
work related errand or while attending a mandatory work related social
function. You’re covered as long as the activity that you were doing
when injured was for the benefit of your employer.
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4. Am I covered for injuries that occur while coming to work or
leaving work after my shift?
In general, injuries that occur while coming to work or going home at
the end of your shift are not covered. However, there are many
exceptions to this rule. For example, if an employee parks his or her
car in a parking area designated by the employer for employees and is
injured while walking from the lot to the employer’s building, the
injury is covered. There are many situations where an injury can be
covered as an exception to the general rule.
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5. I’ve been overusing my left hand since I injured my right hand at
work. Now, my left hand is bothering me. Is that covered by workers’
compensation?
Yes. You’re describing what is known as a “flow-from” injury. An
injury or medical condition that results from a work related injury,
like overusing an opposing body part, is considered to have flowed from
the work injury and is covered by workers compensation. The insurance
company has to pay all benefits for a “flow-from” injury just as if it
were any other kind of work related injury.
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