Ohio’s HB 447 Clarifies Work-From-Home Comp Claims

Posted By Brandy King
April 14, 2022 Category: Remote Work, Work From Home, Workers\' Comp, Fraudulent Claims, Claims Management

  House Bill 447 would set specific criteria that must be met by the claimant when a workers’ comp claim is filed by a remote worker. If passed, all three of the following requirements must be met by the claimant: the injury must arise out of their employment, caused by a special hazard of their employment, and be sustained in the course of an activity performed exclusively to the benefit of the employer. All of these conditions must be met for the claim to be considered compensable. The current law doesn’t truly differentiate between injuries sustained at the employer worksite from injuries sustained while working from home, which isn’t effective considering 30% of Ohio’s workforce is now remote. If passed by Ohio’s Senate, the bill will help prevent frivolous claims from remote employees, like this Florida claims adjuster who tripped over her dog while reaching for coffee. This bill seems to be interpreted differently depending on which side of the fence you’re on. Labor relations advocates feel it will prevent employees from filing a claim if they’ve suffered a work-related injury as a remote worker. You have to read HB 447 in its entirety to see that’s simply not the case. This will still allow for valid, genuinely work-related claims to be filed and compensated – provided the same criteria are met as would be required for an employer worksite injury. Most importantly, this bill spells out what will not be co