An employee punches out at 3 pm, and in the company parking lot, faints and fractures his elbow. What is the correct course for the workers' compensation claim?

• A. Deny the claim because it occurred after work.
• B. Pay for the fracture and diabetes treatment to aid healing.
• C. Pay for just the fracture.
• D. Deny the claim because it is not work related.

Answer: (B)

In California workers’ compensation, medical benefits are provided for treatment reasonably required to cure or relieve the effects of an injury that arises out of and occurs in the course of employment. If an injury happens on the employer’s premises and is connected to work duties, it is compensable even if it occurs after punching out, such as in the company parking lot.

Here, the employee’s elbow fracture occurred on company property during the workday after the shift ended. That keeps the injury within the employment relationship, so the claim is compensable. Medical benefits must cover the fracture treatment. If the treating physician determines that managing a coexisting condition (like diabetes) is necessary to aid healing or prevent complications, that related medical care is also covered as part of the treatment for the injury. Therefore, paying for the fracture care and the diabetes-related care needed to support healing reflects the requirement to provide reasonably necessary medical treatment for a compensable work injury.