The Better Half told me this at lunch and I still don’t quite believe it. Cal Eldred (White Sox pitcher, it’s a baseball thing) had to stop pitching after only 2 innings, he’s had some kind of pin put in his elbow, and his whole major league career is in doubt. So I said, “Gee, honey, I’m sure glad your career at the Post Office isn’t dependent on a trick elbow, or knee, like a lot of football players.” And the B.H. said, “Oh, they can quit any time and collect workmen’s comp just like anybody else.” And I said, “Oh, come on.” And he said, “No, really, even somebody like Darryl Strawberry, who got kicked out, can collect 2/3 of his last year’s salary as workmen’s comp, indefinitely.”
Well, this can’t be right. If nothing else, there must be some sort of cap on it. Or something. Right?
There have been athletes who have tried to file for worker’s comp, but I don’t believe that it’s ever been applied to the whole profession as a rule.
For a baseball player, it wouldn’t be an issue. Cal Eldred most likely has a guaranteed contract and he’ll get paid a handsome sum even if he never pitches again.
On the other hand, football players usually DON’T have guaranteed contracts because they do get injured so frequently.
In California, professional athletes can’t collect Unemployment Insurance. I ran across that once when looking some code for someone.
Laws very from state to state but the key for perm disablity lies on the key you can’t work…If type and answer the phone and you can’t type that doesn’t mean you get compensation. You can still get a job answering the phone.
Sometimes it is really weird what they enforce.
For instance at a hotel I worked at a man was cutting a brownie with a plastic knife. He was off property (at a picnic table) punched out and he cut himself. Workman’s comp covered it as it was brownies made for the hotel employees.
BUT a doorman suffered heat exhaustion, (this was the hot hot summer in 95) and had to go to the hospital. Workman’s comp wouldn’t cover it. They said the hotel took more than adequate provision to protect employees from the heat and exposure to the elements is part of the job.