If you were working offsite from your usual office and got injured, you may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. Here is what you need to know.
When Workers’ Compensation Is Available
In Minnesota, people can receive benefits for on-the-job injuries. To be eligible for benefits, you must:
- Be an employee
- Become injured within the course of your employment
- Become injured within the scope of your employment
- Be injured in Minnesota or while temporarily out of state
There are a few exceptions to these general rules, but most employees injured while working will qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
If you are working offsite and are injured doing something that is not a work activity, there is still a possibility that you could recover benefits. For example, workers may receive benefits if they are on a meal or rest break during work, if they are on work premises, or if they are only travelling somewhere because of work (such as driving to make deliveries).
Workers Travelling Out of State May Still Qualify
If you get injured while travelling out of state, Minnesota law provides that you can receive workers’ compensation benefits in some circumstances. You must:
- Have been hired in Minnesota;
- Have been hired by a Minnesota employer; and
- Be injured while temporarily employed outside Minnesota
The duration of your employment and whether you are expected to return to Minnesota in the future matter in deciding whether to award you benefits. If you take only short work trips outside the state and return for weeks at a time, your injury on an offsite trip likely will be covered.
Need help getting workers’ compensation for your injury? Joe Osterbauer, Esq. and the Osterbauer Law Firm stand up for injured Minnesota workers’ rights. Joe’s 27 years of workers’ compensation experience and his team’s speedy service combine to get clients the results they need. To schedule a free consultation, visit Osterbauer Law Firm online or call Joe’s office at (612) 334-3434.
