A volunteer nurse's aid for a non profit hospital injures her back lifting a patient. The injury is:

A volunteer nurse's aid for a non profit hospital injures her back lifting a patient. The injury is:

• A. Not compensable.
• B. Not compensable due to volunteer status.
• C. Compesable because as a volunteer he received free lunches.
• D. Compensable if the Board of Directors declares volunteers be deemed employees in writing prior to the injury.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that workers’ compensation coverage in California is tied to an employee-employer relationship. Volunteers are not employees, so injuries they sustain while performing volunteer duties are generally not compensable under workers’ compensation. In this scenario, the nurse’s aid is volunteering for a nonprofit hospital, so her back injury from lifting a patient isn’t covered just because she’s helping out. Perks like free lunches don’t convert a volunteer into an employee for workers’ comp purposes, and a board’s written declaration that volunteers are to be treated as employees does not automatically create eligibility for workers’ compensation. Thus, the injury is not compensable due to the volunteer status.

The key idea is that workers’ compensation coverage in California is tied to an employee-employer relationship. Volunteers are not employees, so injuries they sustain while performing volunteer duties are generally not compensable under workers’ compensation. In this scenario, the nurse’s aid is volunteering for a nonprofit hospital, so her back injury from lifting a patient isn’t covered just because she’s helping out. Perks like free lunches don’t convert a volunteer into an employee for workers’ comp purposes, and a board’s written declaration that volunteers are to be treated as employees does not automatically create eligibility for workers’ compensation. Thus, the injury is not compensable due to the volunteer status.