A volunteer nurse's aide for a nonprofit hospital injures her back lifting a patient. The injury is:

• A. Not compensable.
• B. Not compensable due to volunteer status.
• C. Compensable 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)

Volunteers aren’t covered by California workers’ compensation in the same way as employees. A nonprofit hospital’s volunteer nurse’s aide who injures her back while lifting a patient is not in an employer–employee relationship, so her injury isn’t compensable under standard workers’ comp rules. The idea that a board could write a declaration making volunteers employees to enable coverage doesn’t automatically create a true employment relationship for workers’ comp purposes; coverage typically depends on actual wages and control over the work. So, the injury is not compensable because she is a volunteer.