Rehab Provider Doesn't Qualify as Probationer's 'Employer'

A California appellate court ruled that a private, nonprofit organization providing a residential rehabilitation program to a probationer is statutorily excluded from being the probationer’s employer for workers’ compensation purposes. After Jose Velasquez pleaded guilty to a felony count of forgery, a Santa Barbara Superior Court judge placed him on supervised probation and required that he complete a residential treatment program. Velasquez entered the Salvation Army’s residential adult rehabilitation center in Santa Monica for substance abuse treatment. The Salva...