Workers Compensation
| Casual Employment |
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| Many states apply an exemption to the workers' compensation system for "casual" employment, although the majority also requires that the employment not be within the employer's regular course of business. As to the majority's additional requirement, it is important to note that no matter how brief or irregular the employee's work may be, if it falls within the employer's regular course of business he will be covered by workers' compensation. In some states, the casual employee exemption has been specifically denied. More... |
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| "Past Relevant Work" in Social Security Disability Evaluation |
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| In determining an individual's entitlement to social security disability benefits, his ability to perform past relevant work will be examined. As part of the evaluation process, the individual's residual functional capacity (RFC) is determined. If the RFC assessment shows that the individual can either perform the actual duties of his past jobs or that he can perform the duties of his past occupations as generally required by employers throughout the United States, he will not be considered disabled. More... |
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| Self-employment |
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| The central question of whether a given state can apply its workers' compensation statute focuses on various factors including the place that the employment contract was entered into, the place of the employee's injury, and the employee's usual place of employment. For example, an employee who entered into an employment contract with a construction company in California, and who was subsequently injured on a construction site in Nevada, may be able to seek workers' compensation benefits in both California and Nevada. However, double recoveries are generally not permitted. More... |
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| Obtaining Workers' Compensation Benefits |
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| Obtaining Workers' Compensation Benefits More... |
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| Course of Employment and the Personal Comfort Doctrine |
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| An employee injured in the course of employment is entitled to workers' compensation benefits. However, compensability may remain unaffected even if the injury occurred when the employee deviated from his specific job duties to engage in an activity that was purely personal in nature and solely for his own comfort. The personal comfort doctrine allows employees to slightly deviate from their job duties, within the usual time and space parameters of their employment, without losing workers' compensation protection. It is generally understood that employees should be able to tend to their physical needs, such as using the restroom, getting a drink of water, or even taking a break to smoke, during the course of their employment. More... |
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