Nonprofit and Charitable Employers

Nonprofit and charitable employers are not treated the same in every state for purposes of workers' compensation. Some states expressly exclude them from the operation of the workers' compensation statute while others expressly include them or neglect to address them at all. Despite this, the majority of jurisdictions hold that nonprofit and charitable employers are, in fact, subject to the workers' compensation system. Such employers may include churches and synagogues, educational institutions, charitable organizations such as the Salvation Army that are designed to aid the community, and the like.

Resident Employees Who Are Not On-Call

The general rule is that employees who reside on the employer's premises are protected by workers' compensation coverage if they are required to reside on the premises and are on-call twenty-four hours per day or the injury resulted from a risk associated with the employee's living conditions given the requisite living arrangement. When the employee is not on-call and has specified work hours, though he is required to live on the employer's premises, gaining workers' compensation benefits for an injury off the employer's premises is somewhat difficult. When the resident employee is injured outside his work hours and off the employer's premises, he must show a strong causal link between the injury and his employment. This causation requirement is magnified and must be found more compelling than the showing required for on-call employees.

Workers' Compensation and Employee Status

Whether an individual is eligible to receive workers' compensation benefits turns on the individual's employment status. Only employees are entitled to such benefits; individual contractors are not.

Social Security Disability Benefits Evaluation for Disabled Widows and Widowers and Surviving Divorced Spouses

Social security disability is open to disabled widows and widowers as well as surviving divorced spouses of wage earners who died fully insured under the terms of the Social Security Act. Determining the eligibility of these individuals is a complex matter and requires the consideration of a multitude of factors.

Time Requirements Related to Occupational Diseases

With respect to occupational diseases, there are several applicable time restraints including the time between exposure and disability, minimum time periods for exposure, and minimum time periods for an employee's residency. These time requirements vary markedly by state. The limitations period for occupational disease claims also varies widely. Some states bar the receipt of death benefits unless the claim is brought within a specified time after exposure. The majority of states take the view that the limitations period does not begin to run until such time that the claimant had knowledge of his condition and its relationship to his employment. Still another viewpoint on the limitations period is that it begins to run when the employee has become disabled as a result of the disease and with reasonable diligence could discover that the condition is compensable.