Can I Get Workers’ Compensation if I Work From Home in Pennsylvania?
March 14, 2025 | Workers’ Compensation
The number of remote workers is increasing. A remote worker is someone who works from an alternative location, such as working from home. A remote worker is an employee of the company instead of being self-employed. Remote work has benefits for the employee and the employer.
However, navigating work-from-home arrangements in Pennsylvania can be complicated. Issues regarding work hours, communication, and cybersecurity are common. Workers’ compensation is another issue employers and telecommuters should discuss as part of their agreement for remote work.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits if You Work From Home in Pennsylvania
Most Pennsylvania employees are required to provide workers’ compensation insurance for their employees under the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act. Employees who are injured at work can receive workers’ comp benefits.
Workers must prove they were injured during the ordinary course of employment to recover benefits. The law does not require the worker to be on the employer’s property to be eligible for workers’ compensation. However, the worker must have been engaged in work-related tasks at the time of the injury.
The Workers’ Compensation Act states the employee must be engaged in tasks that further the employer’s business or affairs, whether on the employer’s property or elsewhere. For example, suppose a worker installs carpets as part of their job. The worker is injured at a customer’s house in a work-related accident.
Then, the worker should be covered by workers’ compensation insurance because they were performing work-related tasks to benefit the employer’s business.
Remote workers should be covered if they are injured while working from home. However, they must prove they were engaged in activities that benefited the employer and were within the ordinary course of their employment. The injured worker must also prove they were “on the clock” when the injury occurred.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits You Could Receive if You Work From Home
Workers’ comp benefits help injured workers recover and return to work. The benefits are the same whether a worker is injured on the employer’s premises or while working from home. If you are a remote worker, you may be entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits, including:
Medical Benefits
The employer or the workers’ compensation insurance provider pays for the worker’s reasonable and necessary medical bills. Expenses include emergency medical treatment, doctor’s bills, surgeries, rehabilitation, and other treatment.
Employers have the right to name at least six doctors or specialists that employees must choose from for the first 90 days of medical treatment. After 90 days, an employee may see a doctor of their choice for a second opinion.
Wage Loss Benefits
An injured employee can receive benefits for lost wages if their work injury prevents them from working during their recovery. Temporary total disability benefits equal about two-thirds of the remote worker’s average weekly wages before the accident. The amount the remote worker receives is capped by statewide wage figures.
If a worker sustains a permanent impairment, they may receive a settlement for the impairment. If the impairment causes total disability, the worker may continue to receive disability benefits until they reach retirement age or pass away.
Specific Loss and Disfigurement Benefits
If you sustain an injury that results in the loss of a body part or sense, you may qualify for specific loss benefits. A person working from home may receive these benefits if they sustain substantial disfigurement, loss of vision or hearing, or amputation of a body part.
What Should I Do if I’m Denied Workers’ Compensation Because I Work From Home in Pennsylvania?
Insurance companies and employers may argue that workers’ compensation does not cover remote workers for numerous reasons. Examples of reasons your employer or the insurance provider may give you for denying your claim as a remote worker include:
- They are not responsible for hazards or dangerous conditions in your home
- You were not “on the clock” at the time of your injury
- You were doing something that was not within the ordinary course of your employment when you were injured
- Your condition is caused by a pre-existing condition and not a workplace accident
Your employer and the insurance provider may deny your workers’ comp claim based solely on the fact that you work from home. If this situation happens to you, contact a Carbondale workers’ compensation lawyer immediately to discuss your case. Employers have a duty to provide a safe workplace, even if that workplace is the employee’s home.
Contact the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers for Help With the Claim for a Remote Worker in Pennsylvania at Marzzacco Niven & Associates
You may be entitled to workers’ comp benefits if you have been injured in a work-related accident. Call Marzzacco Niven & Associates to discuss your case with an experienced Carbondale workers’ compensation lawyer.
If you’ve been injured in a workers’ compensation, please contact Marzzacco Niven & Associates at the nearest location to schedule a free consultation today:
Harrisburg Law Office
945 East Park Drive, Suite 103 Harrisburg, PA 17111
(717) 231-1640
York Law Office
2550 Kingston Road, Suite 210A York, PA 17401
(717) 995-8998
Wyomissing Law Office
833 N. Park Road, Suite 103, Room A Wyomissing, PA 19610
(717) 388-2325
Chambersburg Law Office
79 St. Paul Drive, Suite 1 Chambersburg, PA 17201
(717) 388-2378
Carlisle Law Office
354 Alexander Springs Road Carlisle, PA 17015
(717) 995-8732
Carbondale Law Office
30 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 101 Carbondale, PA 18407
(717) 995-8810
Lancaster Law Office
2173 Embassy Drive, Ste 123, Lancaster Pa 17603
(717) 616-2954
Lebanon Law Office
937 Willow Street, Suite D Lebanon, PA 17042-1140
(717) 995-8963