Volunteering comes with a lot of benefits, from gaining job skills to an increased sense of self-worth. It’s noble to volunteer with nonprofits. No one likes to think about what happens when you get injured while volunteering. Because you aren’t employed by the non-profit, you can’t file for workers’ compensation. Does that mean you have to pay for your own medical bills? Unfortunately, the answer can depend on a few things.
If you are uncertain about your rights as a volunteer, reach out to a workers’ compensation lawyer.
Get Medical Help First
If you are injured as a volunteer, it’s important to get medical treatment and to document your situation. Treat it as any other accident. Get yourself to safety. Make sure your injury is treated. Document everything. Alert your supervisor, preferably in writing. Find out how the non-profit wants you to proceed with your claim.
Some Volunteers Are Covered By Workers’ Compensation
State laws often determine how volunteer injuries are handled. If you are volunteering for a government agency, you may qualify for workers’ compensation. It depends on a few things, so you’ll have to check the laws in your state and how the government body handles injuries as a volunteer. Another exception to the rule is when you are volunteering the same work you do professionally. You may be able to argue that your volunteering was part of your business, which would make the injury fall under workers’ compensation rules.
General Liability Insurance Claims
Although you won’t be eligible for workers’ compensation, in most cases, you should be eligible to file a claim under the non-profit general liability policy. Businesses, which include non-profits, should carry a liability policy that covers visitors or volunteers when injured on the property. If you were visiting the organization and slipped and fell, the general liability policy would cover your injuries. Regular volunteers could pursue a claim under the same policy.
Some nonprofits have insurance policies that do cover volunteers. It’s important to ask about the procedures for injuries when you are volunteering. Volunteers should not have to use their own insurance to pay for medical bills when injured. Still, that is one option if an insurance claim is not forthcoming.
If you are seriously injured as a volunteer and finding it difficult to get compensated, talk to a personal injury lawyer about your case to find out what steps you should take to get the best solution. Volunteering is a good thing until you are injured and have to pay medical bills.
Reach out to a workers’ compensation lawyer today, to discuss your injury while you were volunteering.
Thank you to our friends at Hickey and Turim for the above blog.