An employee, not paid for mileage, goes to the bank on his lunch break to cash his paycheck and is injured. The injury is:

• A. Compensable because of the personal comfort doctrine.
• B. Compensable because of the going and coming rule.
• C. Not compensable because of the personal comfort doctrine.
• D. Not compensable because it was solely a personal errand.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is whether the injury happened while the employee was still acting within the course of employment on a break. In California workers’ compensation, the personal comfort doctrine can extend coverage for small detours that are reasonably necessary for the employee to continue working (like a quick rest or meal break). But a trip to the bank to cash a paycheck is not a detour that serves the job or is necessary for work. It’s a purely personal errand taken during a lunch break, not something the employer required or that facilitates performance of duties. Because the stop was solely for a personal purpose, it does not fall within the course of employment, and the injury is not compensable. The fact that mileage isn’t reimbursed doesn’t change this, since compensation depends on the employee’s connection to work, not on travel reimbursement.