Navigating Work-From-Home Injury Claims: How to Investigate

When the office becomes a kitchen table or spare bedroom, the rules of Workers’ Compensation don’t always feel so clear. Work-from-home (WFH) has become a permanent fixture of the modern workplace. In 2023, 35% of employed people worked from home, up from just 24% in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As more employees log in from kitchens, bedrooms, and backyard patios, claims teams are facing a new set of Workers’ Compensation questions: What qualifies as a workplace injury at home, and how should it be investigated?

Remote Work is Changing the Landscape

NCCI reports that remote jobs have seen sharper declines in Workers’ Compensation claim frequency than other sectors. But while remote work has reduced traditional workplace risks, it hasn’t eliminated exposure. Instead, it has changed the type of exposure.

Injury claim rates among remote employees have increased by an estimated 24%–54%, driven largely by musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) tied to poor ergonomics, as well as stress and mental health–related claims (NCCI). This marks a shift away from acute, task-based injuries and toward conditions that develop over time.

For insurers and claims professionals, this shift creates a new challenge: fewer claims overall, but a higher share of injuries that are harder to verify, slower to emerge, and more dependent on individual work environments. As a result, questions around causation, compensability, and investigation become far less straightforward.

What Makes a Work-From-Home Injury Compensable?

Remote employees are generally covered by Workers’ Compensation, but they must still prove that the injury:

1. Occurred while working.
2. Arose out of employment, even if it happened at home.

Many jurisdictions treat an approved home office as a second workplace, especially when the employer authorizes remote work or provides equipment.

However, courts still draw clear lines between work-created hazards and purely personal hazards. If an employee trips over a cord while going to answer a work-related phone call, there’s a clear connection between the work activity and the hazard. Thus, that would be compensable.

On the other hand, if a worker slips while grabbing a snack during work hours, there’s no meaningful work-related contribution to the risk, and it may not be compensable.

Example: 

In Florida, a remote employee tripped over her dog while reaching for a coffee mug during work hours. The Judge of Compensation Claims initially ruled the injury compensable, reasoning that the employer had effectively “imported” the work environment into the home. However, the Florida First District Court of Appeal reversed the decision, finding that the employment did not increase the risk of tripping over a dog. The hazard was purely personal, not work-related, so the injury was not compensable.

This case is now widely cited as a reminder: being on the clock at home isn’t enough. The cause of injury still matters.

How to Investigate a Work-From-Home Injury

WFH claims require more documentation and more precise questioning than a typical on-site claim. Adjusters and investigators should focus on:

1. What exactly was the employee doing?

Tie the activity directly to a work task, not just the time of day.

2. What hazard caused the injury?

Work-related hazards (equipment cords, office chairs) carry more weight than personal hazards (pets, household clutter).

3. Is there evidence the employee was working?

Login records, call logs, emails, calendars, or Teams/Zoom activity can help.

4. Was remote work authorized?

A formal arrangement strengthens the “course and scope” argument.

Need help navigating complex WFH injury claims? Our investigators support claims teams with fact-based documentation and clear, defensible findings.