Surge in Remote-Work Injuries Could Prompt New Interpretations on Compensability, Attorneys Say

As many employees continue to work from home amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, some workers’ comp experts are predicting a rise in work-from-home injuries, which could force courts in some Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to more narrowly define when remote-work accidents are compensable. “It’s become an increasingly hot topic, as many of us have been working from home for almost 18 months,” said Robert J. Baker, partner at work comp defense firm Chartwell Law, which has nearly two-dozen offices along the East Coast. In many jurisdictions, the compensability of a remot...