Tag Archives: remote workplace

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Coronavirus

Appeals Hearings All Remote Through June 2021


All Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals hearings will be by remote access through June of 2021. The Board has extended the period of time that Board offices will remain closed to the public due to the Coronavirus.

Board judges will typically handle proceedings by telephone conference calls. In certain circumstances, the judge may opt for video conferencing using a third-party service, CourtCall. This is usually for the purpose of appeals hearings, where evidence and testimony is presented, rather than more informal procedural events.

Conferences and Hearings to Be Adjusted

Board judges will reach out to those parties with events impacted by this extension. The judge will ask if they can convert the proceedings from live to remote-access events. In the event that a party is aggrieved that the appeal proceedings will be remote, a request can be made for the case to be continued to a later date. This would most likely be in the case of a hearing. This decision is at the judge’s discretion. Any rescheduled event date is subject to the availability of the judges and parties and will likely cause a delay in proceedings.

More Information and Assistance

More information about this process can be found on the Board’s website.

We often suggest that claimants have legal representation when their case is on appeal. This may be especially true when appeal hearings will be conducted via remote access. Feel free to contact our firm for assistance with your case. We offer a free analysis of your case and will give you our opinion on whether you need legal assistance, or not, and how we recommend you proceed.

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Worker Safety

Remote Workplace Injuries – Are You Covered?

Are remote workplace injuries a covered event? Maybe, yes.

Now that we’re in a pandemic, it is possible for workers to be injured while not in the office or on the job site. Because many employees are working from home, it is possible that an injury at home might be a covered event.

Course of Employment

The Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals is an administrative law court that oversees, among other things, appeals in workers’ compensation cases. The Board publishes significant decisions made on a variety of topics, including course of employment questions. The sheer number of significant decisions on this topic demonstrates that the answer to most questions of “Am I Covered?” is “maybe.”

Generally, a worker who is injured while in the course of employment is able to file a workers’ compensation claim. In most cases, an injury occurs on the employer’s premises, but not always. For instance, an employee driving a car while furthering the employer’s business – say, a plumber driving a truck to a site where work will be performed, bringing tools and equipment required for the job – is likely a covered employee.

In the case of employees working from home due to protective steps taken in response to the pandemic, coverage may extend to the employee’s home. As an example, if you are working from home and, as part of your usual work duties, you have to lift a box of necessary tools up to your work surface and, while doing so, you injure your shoulder, you may have a covered injury event. Remote workplace injuries may be covered events, if the criteria for claim allowance are met.

Filing a Claim for an Injury

For those that have suffered an injury, whether on the employer’s premises or at home, a claim may be filed with the Department of Labor and Industries. A claim can be filed:

  • Online via DLI’s FileFast tool.
  • By phone: 1-877-561-3453 (FILE).
  • At your doctor’s office (if you complete the Report of Accident at your doctor’s office, the doctor files the form for you).

You can watch a DLI video that generally describes the process for filing a claim if you need more information about the steps to be taken.

More Information or Assistance

If you have questions about workers’ compensation, or if you already filed a claim and your claim was denied, please feel free to contact our firm. We offer a free case analysis, and would be happy to discuss your specific circumstances with you.

Prior Posts on Related Topics