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Posted in Uncategorized on November 2, 2021
Just about every employee in Arizona is covered by the workers’ compensation laws in this state. Any person who sustains a job-related injury should be able to recover compensation for their medical bills and a major part of their lost wages. However, what happens if you are injured outside of the workplace? Can you still recover workers’ compensation benefits?
Even though workers’ compensation in Arizona will not cover an off-the-clock injury, there are various caveats in place. Here, we want to discuss how a person may be able to recover compensation for an injury that occurs outside of their workplace.
In general, a person’s commute to and from work will not be covered by workers’ compensation insurance. However, this completely changes if a person is performing job-related duties during their commute to and from work. For example, if a person is expected to take meetings on their phone while they are going to and from work, this could be considered work time, and any injury sustained during that time frame may be covered under workers’ compensation insurance.
Additionally, if a situation arises where a supervisor calls an employee and ask them to make some stops on the way into work or on the way home from work, this would be considered a directive from a supervisory position, and any injury that occurs while performing a job-related duty would likely be covered by workers’ compensation.
There are times when individuals are asked to run errands outside of the workplace. For example, suppose a person works inside of an office building for nearly every bit of their day-to-day duties. However, if supplies are needed and the worker is asked to drive to the next town to get those supplies, this would likely be considered a job-related duty, and any injuries sustained during this time frame would likely be covered under workers’ compensation insurance.
There are times when individuals are asked to work off-site for various reasons. This could include going to conferences, company retreats, budget retreats, etc. Anytime a person is participating in job-related duties sanctioned by an employer, they should absolutely be covered by workers’ compensation insurance if an injury occurs.
The workers’ compensation system in Arizona is considered a “no-fault” system. This means that individuals should be able to receive compensation for a job-related injury regardless of who caused the injury. Even if a person is responsible for causing their own injury, they are usually entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.
Injuries that occur outside of the workplace that fall under the auspices of the workers’ compensation system would still be considered no-fault. This would apply to various types of injuries that could occur, including injuries caused by a vehicle accident as well as injuries caused by something like a slip and fall incident, regardless of where they occur.
If you have sustained a workplace injury and are struggling to recover the compensation you are entitled to, you need to speak to a skilled lawyer as soon as possible. A Phoenix workers’ compensation attorney can conduct a complete investigation into your claim and help you recover total compensation for your losses.