A volunteer is the one who doesn’t get any monetary compensation for his/her services. Though such volunteers add huge value to an organization and non-profit they work with, still it is a question whether they are covered under workers’ compensation.
Volunteers Workers Compensation
The workers’ compensation insurance of many of the states doesn’t cover volunteers, and even the general liability insurance of a company also does not cover them. Only volunteers are covered under their own health insurance. So it becomes essential to have a good understanding of insurance coverage and the risks open to volunteers when it comes to insurance of organizations.
Know about the volunteer
In general, volunteers provide services for organizations or companies of their own interest. Hence they don’t expect any kind of payment for their services. Moreover, volunteers will not be paid by the organizations they work for. However, some organizations may pay them a nominal fee.
Coverage of volunteers
Generally, Workers’ compensation insurance doesn’t cover volunteers under it. However, it is important to make sure with the state laws in which the organization is operating. It is also becoming essential to check and review the coverage of the policy with insurance providers and get to know whether the workers’ compensation insurance covers or not. Some of the states allow organizations/companies to have the benefit of adding volunteers into their insurance plans; this is quite possible if they are long-term volunteers.
Workers’ Compensation
While it is good to have Workers’ Compensation coverage for the benefit of regular employees, yet, remember you can’t misunderstand that it can cover volunteers also. To be telling the truth, as the volunteers aren’t paid people, they will not be covered under the policy in most states.
However, some of the organizations/companies may extend their benefits by adding a voluntary compensation endorsement to their policies. Although it seems to be great, still it will not cover the liabilities that the volunteers face.
An exception
You can find an exception; when volunteers are emergency services providers and they work for schools or villages, which seem to be public employers. This also can have volunteer individuals such as police officers, firefighters, or emergency medical technicians.
It is a must for public employers to buy workers’ comp insurance for them if they are volunteer emergency service providers for them. And they also can buy coverage for volunteers who are involved in non-emergency services or for workers in community service hours as a replacement for paying a fine or jail sentence.
What should volunteers think about?
If you have got injured when volunteering, it is essential that you are able to understand the status of you as a volunteer before you seek legal counsel. You can contact an experienced and skilled related authority for workers’ compensation attorneys. This may be the first step to know whether you are eligible to get the benefits of workers’ compensation or else you should file a personal injury lawsuit.
Your attorney that you have approached will investigate the accident, your existing employment status, and other evidence to get you to move into the legal path right for you.
Also Read: How much is Insurance For Carpenters?