Does Workers’ Comp Cover Remote Workers?

Working at home does not automatically make an injury either covered or excluded. OSHA’s telework interpretation says, for federal injury-recordkeeping purposes, an at-home injury is work-related when it occurs while the employee performs paid work and is directly related to the work rather than the general home environment. That is useful context, but workers’ compensation compensability is decided under state law.

For a claim, document the employee’s work arrangement, task, location, and how the injury happened. For your policy, confirm the employee’s state and remote work address are accurately reported, and ask the insurer how it handles work-related injuries away from listed premises. OSHA guidance concerns recordkeeping and should not be treated as a decision on an insurance claim. State boards and claims administrators apply their own legal tests to the facts.