Workers’ compensation for Delaware is defined as a system, created by the Delaware Legislature, which provides benefits to workers who are injured or who contract an occupational disease while working.
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In general, workers’ compensation provides benefits to employees who are injured during the course and scope of their employment. You do not need to be injured on the employer’s property to be entitled to benefits, but you must show that you were acting in the employer’s best interest when the injury happened.
So what does this mean for the rising amount of employees who work remotely?
Remote Work has Increased
During these unprecedented times, remote work has increased as companies temporarily close their doors to combat the Coronavirus.
Remote work has been increasing even before the Coronavirus. Research shows that telework has increased 44% in the last 5 years, and over 90% in the last decade.
Bearing this in mind, what happens if you are injured while working from home?
Does Workers’ Compensation Cover Working from Home?
The simple answer – yes.
While each state’s workers compensation laws are unique, courts have found that employees who work from home are entitled to the same benefits as staff who work on company property. When an employee’s home is also an employee’s work premises, it is often understood that the hazards an employee encounters when performing work at home are also hazards of his or her employment.
What do Workers Compensation Benefits Include?
In Delaware, benefits include:
Medical care
Disfigurement benefits
Compensation for an injury that resulted in permanent impairment
Lost wages
Transportation expenses
We've got the answers. Start here to learn more about workers’ compensation benefits.
Kimmel Carter has experienced attorneys here to help you navigate your workers’ compensation claim.
