Suffering an injury at work that causes you to miss weeks or even months is common. The last thing you want to experience is a serious injury. The workers’ compensation system is a federal system that allows affected workers to receive benefits for qualifying work-related injuries or illnesses. However, the benefits do not apply to every type of injury sustained at work. While knowing what injuries enable you to receive benefits is good, you also need to know what injuries in certain situations do not qualify you to receive workers’ compensation benefits.
Off-Site Injuries
If you suffer an injury while you are not at the workplace or are not working during your scheduled hours, your injury will not qualify. Workers’ compensation benefits only cover injuries that occur on-site while you are doing your work tasks, as a workers injury lawyer in Arlington Heights, IL can explain, like one at Therman Law Offices, LTD. For example, if you commute to work and suffer an injury, you will not be able to include the injury in your claim to receive workers’ compensation benefits. This also applies to injuries sustained during your lunch or break hours.
Horseplay
When an employee is not doing their job and engages in horseplay where they are fooling around, then suffers an injury as a result, they will not be able to claim workers compensation. You can only receive benefits if your injury was a result of your tasks or if your injury was due to an unsafe work environment. If your injury was a result of your own actions and not directly related to your work, you will not be able to receive compensation for the cost of your treatment or your missed wages.
Injuries From Existing Conditions
Workers with an existing health condition that worsens or that leads to an illness or injury will not be able to qualify for a worker’s compensation claim. This also applies if you have sustained an injury outside of work, and your injury worsens after doing your job.
Criminal Acts
If you break the law while you are at work and get injured as a result of your criminal acts, your case is not valid. Even though you were at your workplace, since you were breaking local, state or federal law, you will not be able to file a workers’ compensation claim. You will have to pay for your medical expenses out of your own pocket.
Schedule a consultation with a trusted and experienced workers injury lawyer like one at Therman Law Offices, LTD to receive legal advice and successfully resolve your situation.
