Indiana requires an accidental injury arising out of and in the course of employment, with the burden of proof on the employee. IC 22-3-2-2(a)[1].
This checklist focuses on documenting an incident in a remote workspace. For the broader discussion, see our Indiana work-from-home guide and workers’ compensation overview. The organizing suggestions below are practical steps, not extra legal requirements or predictions about a claim.
Key takeaways
- Describe what you were doing immediately before the event, not just that you were logged in.
- Keep an honest timeline, including interruptions and uncertainties.
- Identify digital records without exporting confidential employer or customer material.
- Record employer notice and Board filing separately.
- Ask about care arrangements and keep written work instructions.
Start with the assignment, not the room
In Pavese v. Cleaning Solutions, the Indiana Court of Appeals explains that “arising out of” requires a causal connection between the injury and the employee’s duties or services. “In the course of” concerns an event within the employment period, at a place the employee may reasonably be, while performing duties or something incidental to them. Both requirements must be met. Pavese, pp. 6–7[2].
Pavese was not a home-office case; these are its general definitions, not a ruling on any of the examples below. For your own notes, identify the employer, remote-work arrangement, supervisor, scheduled hours, and specific task. Record who requested the task and where the assignment can be found.
For example, instead of writing only “hurt in office,” describe whether you were moving a work file, setting up equipment, joining a call, or doing something else. If a personal task interrupted the work, include it. Do not change the account to make it sound more work-related.
Build a timeline with clear sources
Make a short sequence from the last event you remember before the injury through your first report and medical contact. For each time, label whether it is exact, estimated, or taken from a record. A calendar invitation shows a scheduled meeting; do not describe it as proof you attended unless another record or your own account establishes that.
| Timeline entry | What to write down | Record to identify |
|---|---|---|
| Task received | Who assigned it and what you were asked to do | Email, task ticket, or supervisor message |
| Activity before the event | Your actual movements, location, and any interruption | Your recollection, call history, or permitted work notes |
| The event | What you saw, felt, or heard; what remains unknown | Original photos and the account of anyone who observed it |
| First report | Recipient, time, method, and response | Message, submission receipt, or dated call note |
| Care instructions | Who gave directions and which provider was identified | Authorization or appointment correspondence |
A login, an online status indicator, and an actual task are different facts. Preserve the distinction. If nobody saw the incident, say so; do not turn a person who heard about it afterward into an eyewitness.
Document the workspace safely
If it is safe, photograph the overall workspace and closer views of the item or condition involved. Record when the pictures were taken and whether anything had already been moved. Do not postpone needed care, leave a hazard in place, or reenact an injury to create photographs.
For equipment, note the item name, owner, location, and any identifying number already available to you. These are investigation leads, not findings that a product was defective or that the employer is legally responsible. Keep the original files; if you later make an annotated copy, retain the original separately.
For a hypothetical trip beside a desk, useful notes might identify the walking route, the object observed, why you were moving, and whether anyone changed the area afterward. The checklist does not classify that event as covered or excluded.
Identify digital evidence without taking restricted files
Make a record-location list: the relevant date range, application, message subject, and person or department that holds the material. Keep only records you are authorized to possess. Do not forward customer data, employer trade secrets, restricted chat exports, or other employees’ private information to a personal account.
Tell counsel promptly about records that may be overwritten or deleted so an appropriate preservation request can be considered. A practical request identifies the system and time window rather than asking a coworker to download everything. Do not alter logs or access an account after permission ends.
Keep your own reporting correspondence, permitted remote-work agreement, appointment paperwork, and work notes together. Our broader injured-worker records checklist covers the rest of a claim folder.
Keep a dated employer-notice record
Under Indiana Code 22-3-3-1[3], written notice is required as soon as practicable unless the employer or its representative has actual knowledge. If notice is not given or knowledge acquired within 30 days, the statute says no compensation shall be paid until and from the date notice is given or knowledge obtained. It also says a lack of knowledge or notice defect does not bar compensation unless the employer shows prejudice, and then only to that extent. IC 22-3-3-1[1].
That is not an automatic “claim lost after 30 days” rule. Report promptly, keep the acknowledgment, and get individual advice about any delay. Write down earlier verbal reports too: who received them, when, and what was said. Be accurate about the task and sequence rather than simply declaring an uncertain event work-related.
Save care directions and work instructions
For a claim governed by the Act, the employer furnishes the attending physician and care described in Indiana Code 22-3-3-4[4]. During temporary total disability, subsection (d) addresses other care obtained because of an emergency, employer failure to furnish care, or other good reason, with reasonable cost subject to Board approval. Subsection (e) prohibits delaying emergency care considered necessary by the attending health care facility physician. IC 22-3-3-4(a), (d)–(e)[1].
Seek appropriate emergency help. For nonemergency care, ask the administrator where to attend and save the answer. Do not assume every self-arranged visit will be paid. Bring an accurate incident history to the clinician and keep written work instructions. For a remote assignment, describe actual tasks such as lifting equipment or prolonged computer work and discuss those tasks with the clinician.
Our doctor-selection guide provides more context. This is an organizing checklist, not a medical assessment.
Separate employer reporting from Board filing
Indiana Code 22-3-3-3[5](a) generally requires a claim with the Worker’s Compensation Board within two years after the accident, or within two years after death if death results. Under subsection (b), if temporary total or temporary partial disability compensation was paid, the two-year filing period begins on the last date for which that compensation was paid. IC 22-3-3-3(a)–(b)[1].
The relevant date in subsection (b) is the date the payment covered, not simply the day the check arrived. Keep payment statements and have the actual history reviewed. Do not assume a medical bill payment extends that period. Developing conditions, radiation exposure, prior awards, or uncertainty about the governing law need individual review; this checklist does not calculate a final filing date.
Employer notice and Board claim filing are separate requirements; reporting to a supervisor does not substitute for filing with the Board. IC 22-3-3-1 and 22-3-3-3[1].
If there is a dispute, organize the question and the response
The Board lists the First Report of Injury, Request for Assistance, and Application for Adjustment of Claim as separate forms. Its disputed-claims guidance identifies the Application for Adjustment of Claim, State Form 29109, for unresolved disputes. Board forms[6]. See the Board’s disputed-claims guidance[7].
Ask for the reason for a denial or disputed service in writing. Organize your folder around the question actually raised: your employment arrangement, the task, what happened, the medical connection, or authorization for a service. Mark missing records as “not obtained” instead of filling gaps with guesses.
For a private consultation in Fort Wayne or elsewhere in Indiana, bring your timeline, permitted records, reporting correspondence, care instructions, and letters received. Avoid posting workplace or medical details publicly. You do not need a complete folder before asking about next steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does being logged in prove my injury is covered?
No. Indiana Code 22-3-2-2[8](a) requires proof that the accidental injury arose out of and occurred in the course of employment. A login alone does not establish both requirements.
What if I do not know the exact time?
Label the time as estimated and identify the records you used. Keep your recollection separate from timestamps and do not fill gaps with invented details.
Should I send employer files to my personal email?
Do not transfer restricted material. Identify the system, relevant date range, and record custodian so counsel can consider an appropriate preservation request.
Does a report after 30 days automatically end the claim?
No. Indiana Code 22-3-3-1[3] addresses notice, actual knowledge, compensation timing, and employer prejudice. Report promptly and obtain individual review of any delay.
Is employer-directed care an absolute rule?
No. Indiana Code 22-3-3-4[4](d) addresses other care during temporary total disability for an emergency, employer failure to provide care, or other good reason, subject to Board approval of reasonable cost.
Does notifying my supervisor count as filing with the Board?
No. Employer notice and Board filing are separate requirements under Indiana Code 22-3-3-1[3] and 22-3-3-3. Keep both tasks on your checklist and have the filing date reviewed.
Delventhal Law Office offers a free consultation to discuss a home-office incident, the available records, and next steps. Attorney Chad Delventhal handles Indiana injury matters.
Primary sources reviewed October 28, 2026.
This article is general information about Indiana law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship, and neither does contacting us.
