Workers’ compensation benefits are available for those hurt on the job. Individuals who suffer lacerations caused by machinery or who fall while taking care of customers may be eligible for valuable benefits.
Workers’ compensation benefits can cover the cost of an employee’s medical care. Workers can also obtain disability benefits to replace a portion of their lost income until they can return to their jobs. Certain situations can affect a worker’s eligibility for benefits.
Some workers feel confident about their right to make a claim because they know that a co-worker’s error or a safety violation by the business caused their injury. Others may worry about their eligibility because they are at fault for the incident that left them hurt. Does personal fault affect an employee’s eligibility for workers’ compensation?
Fault does not affect worker rights
The workers’ compensation system in Connecticut does not factor fault into benefit claims. Workers do not need proof that another employee or the company is responsible for their injuries. They are not at risk of losing benefits even if their employers can show that they caused the incident themselves.
Whether a worker trips over their own shoelaces or makes a mistake when handling a tool, they can still usually secure workers’ compensation benefits for their job-acquired medical challenges. Fault does not affect the duration or quantity of benefits either. Workers still receive the same medical coverage and disability benefits regardless of who is responsible for their injuries.
There are a few exceptions to no-fault coverage rules. Employers can contest benefits claims in scenarios where a worker fails a drug test and their impairment is the underlying cause of their injury. Claims may also face disputes in scenarios where employers can reasonably assert that the worker hurt themselves intentionally.
Unless one of the aforementioned exceptions applies, employees can generally expect to be eligible for workers’ compensation even when it is clear that they played an unintentional role in the incident that injured them. Having support during a workers’ compensation claim may improve an employee’s chances of getting benefits. Injured employees often need help learning about the benefits available to them and handling the red tape required to secure those benefits.