If you experience an injury or illness on the job you may immediately believe that you are eligible to file a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim. In many cases you would be correct and you should follow the appropriate steps to get your claim acknowledged and completed.
However, not all injuries or illnesses are covered by workers’ compensation insurance and if you know your rights and understand these different circumstances you will be better prepared to file a claim or not depending on the situation that your injury or illness occurred. The good news is you don’t have to be completely well versed in each and every injury or illness that is or is not covered by the insurance, but you should have a general understanding of how the law works so you can make a quick decision if you are injured or experience an illness while at work.
Very generally speaking an injury or illness that occurs in the regular course of you performing your duties at work may be covered by a workers’ compensation claim. Your course of action if this is to occur is to take your injury or illness directly to your supervisor so she/he can document it and you can start the claims process. If you are not sure if your injury or illness is covered, you may still wish to report it to your supervisor and begin the process of a claim so you are setting yourself up to be able to file the claim if the injury or illness is covered.
That being said, here is a generalized list of injuries or illnesses that may not be covered under a claim;
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In the event that an injury occurs as the result of an act of God, such as a flood or hurricane, the injury may not be covered.
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Illnesses such as the flu or common headaches would not generally be covered.
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Any injury or illness that you were suffering from before you were hired by the company may not be considered a workplace injury.
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If there was an off-site recreational activity that occurred that was not in the normal course of you performing your duties for work and you were injured while at the activity, it may not be covered.
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In the course of your employment if you are involved in a physical altercation with another employee at the company, any injuries sustained in the process of that altercation may not be covered as a workplace injury.
While there are other scenarios which may not be considered as workplace injuries and may not be covered as a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim, this is a good list to keep handy so that if you ever find yourself in one of these situations you know that it is likely you will not be able to file a claim. With that being said, when you are injured or ill on the job it is always the responsible thing to report that injury or illness to your supervisor and if you do feel you may have a claim to file, you should start that process.
Our office of board certified workers’ compensation attorneys can help you navigate the claims process and even if you are in a situation where you are unsure whether the claim will be denied or accepted, we may be able to help you cover all your bases and get the long-term compensation that you require.
