§ 48-115. Employee and worker, defined; inclusions; exclusions; waiver; election of coverage.

The terms employee and worker are used interchangeably and have the same meaning throughout the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act. Such terms include the plural and all ages and both sexes. For purposes of the act, employee or worker shall be construed to mean: (1) Every person in the service of the state or of any governmental agency created by it, including the Nebraska National Guard and members of the military forces of the State of Nebraska, under any appointment or contract of hire, expressed or implied, oral or written; (2) Every person in the service of an employer who is engaged in any trade, occupation, business, or profession as described in section 48-106 under any contract of hire, expressed or implied, oral or written, including aliens and also including minors. Minors for the purpose of making election of remedies under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act shall have the same power of contracting and electing as adult employees. As used in subdivisions (1) through (11) of this section, the terms employee and worker shall not be construed to include any person whose employment is not in the usual course of the trade, business, profession, or occupation of his or her employer. If an employee subject to the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act suffers an injury on account of which he or she or, in the event of his or her death, his or her dependents would otherwise have been entitled to the benefits provided by such act, the employee or, in the event of his or her death, his or her dependents shall be entitled to the benefits provided under such act, if the injury or injury resulting in death occurred within this state, or if at the time of such injury (a) the employment was principally localized within this state, (b) the employer was performing work within this state, or (c) the contract of hire was made within this state; (3) Volunteer firefighters of any fire department of any rural or suburban fire protection district, city, village, or nonprofit corporation, which fire department is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. Such volunteers shall be deemed employees of such rural or suburban fire protection district, city, village, or nonprofit corporation while in the performance of their duties as members of such department and shall be considered as having entered and as acting in the regular course and scope of their employment from the instant such persons commence responding to a call to active duty, whether to a fire station or other place where firefighting equipment that their company or unit is to use is located or to any activities that the volunteer firefighters may be directed to do by the chief of the fire department or some person authorized to act for such chief. Such volunteers shall be deemed employees of such rural or suburban fire protection district, city, village, or nonprofit corporation until their return to the location from which they were initially called to active duty or until they engage in any activity beyond the scope of the performance of their duties, whichever occurs first. Members of such volunteer fire department, before they are entitled to benefits under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act, shall be recommended by the chief of the fire department or some person authorized to act for such chief for membership therein to the board of directors of the rural or suburban fire protection district or nonprofit corporation, the mayor and city commission, the mayor and council, or the chairperson and board of trustees, as the case may be, and upon confirmation shall be deemed employees of such entity. Members of such fire department after confirmation to membership may be removed by a majority vote of the entity's board of directors or governing body and thereafter shall not be considered employees of such entity. Firefighters of any fire department of any rural or suburban fire protection district, nonprofit corporation, city, or village shall be considered as acting in the performance and within the course and scope of their employment when performing activities outside of the corporate limits of their respective districts, cities, or villages, but only if directed to do so by the chief of the fire department or some person authorized to act for such chief; (4) Members of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, any city, village, county, or interjurisdictional emergency management organization, or any state emergency response team, which agency, organization, or team is regularly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. Such members shall be deemed employees of such agency, organization, or team while in the performance of their duties as members of such agency, organization, or team; (5) Any person fulfilling conditions of probation, or community service as defined in section 29-2277, pursuant to any order of any court of this state who shall be working for a governmental body, or agency as defined in section 29-2277, pursuant to any condition of probation, or community service as defined in section 29-2277. Such person shall be deemed an employee of the governmental body or agency for the purposes of the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act; (6) Volunteer ambulance drivers and attendants and emergency care providers who are members of an emergency medical service for any county, city, village, rural or suburban fire protection district, nonprofit corporation, or any combination of such entities under the authority of section 13-303. Such volunteers shall be deemed employees of such entity or combination thereof while in the performance of their duties as ambulance drivers or attendants or emergency care providers and shall be considered as having entered into and as acting in the regular course and scope of their employment from the instant such persons commence responding to a call to active duty, whether to a hospital or other place where the ambulance they are to use is located or to any activities that the volunteer ambulance drivers or attendants or emergency care providers may be directed to do by the chief or some person authorized to act for such chief of the volunteer ambulance service or emergency care service. Such volunteers shall be deemed employees of such county, city, village, rural or suburban fire protection district, nonprofit corporation, or combination of such entities until their return to the location from which they were initially called to active duty or until they engage in any activity beyond the scope of the performance of their duties, whichever occurs first. Before such volunteer ambulance drivers or attendants or emergency care providers are entitled to benefits under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act, they shall be recommended by the chief or some person authorized to act for such chief of the volunteer ambulance service or emergency care service for membership therein to the board of directors of the rural or suburban fire protection district or nonprofit corporation, the governing body of the county, city, or village, or combination thereof, as the case may be, and upon such confirmation shall be deemed employees of such entity or combination thereof. Members of such volunteer ambulance or emergency care service after confirmation to membership may be removed by majority vote of the entity's board of directors or governing body and thereafter shall not be considered employees of such entity. Volunteer ambulance drivers and attendants and emergency care providers for any county, city, village, rural or suburban fire protection district, nonprofit corporation, or any combination thereof shall be considered as acting in the performance and within the course and scope of their employment when performing activities outside of the corporate limits of their respective county, city, village, or district, but only if directed to do so by the chief or some person authorized to act for such chief; (7) Members of a law enforcement reserve force appointed in accordance with section 81-1438. Such members shall be deemed employees of the county or city for which they were appointed; (8) Any offender committed to the Department of Correctional Services who is employed pursuant to section 81-1827. Such offender shall be deemed an employee of the Department of Correctional Services solely for purposes of the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act; (9) An executive officer of a corporation elected or appointed under the provisions or authority of the charter, articles of incorporation, or bylaws of such corporation who owns less than twenty-five percent of the common stock of such corporation or an executive officer of a nonprofit corporation elected or appointed under the provisions or authority of the charter, articles of incorporation, or bylaws of such corporation who receives annual compensation of more than one thousand dollars from such corporation. Such executive officer shall be an employee of such corporation under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act. An executive officer of a corporation who owns twenty-five percent or more of the common stock of such corporation or an executive officer of a nonprofit corporation who receives annual compensation of one thousand dollars or less from such corporation shall not be construed to be an employee of the corporation under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act unless such executive officer elects to bring himself or herself within the provisions of the act. Such election shall be in writing and filed with the secretary of the corporation and with the workers' compensation insurer. Such election shall be effective upon receipt by the insurer for the current policy and subsequent policies issued by such insurer and shall remain in effect until the election is terminated, in writing, by the officer and the termination is filed with the insurer or until the insurer ceases to provide coverage for the corporation, whichever occurs first. Any such termination of election shall also be filed with the secretary of the corporation. If insurance is provided through a master policy or a multiple coordinated policy pursuant to the Professional Employer Organization Registration Act on or after January 1, 2012, then such election or termination of election shall also be filed with the professional employer organization. If coverage under the master policy or multiple coordinated policy ceases, then such election shall also be effective for a replacement master policy or multiple coordinated policy obtained by the professional employer organization and shall remain in effect for the new policy as provided in this subdivision. If such an executive officer has not elected to bring himself or herself within the provisions of the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act pursuant to this subdivision and a health, accident, or other insurance policy covering such executive officer contains an exclusion of coverage if the executive officer is otherwise entitled to workers' compensation coverage, such exclusion is null and void as to such executive officer. It is the intent of the Legislature that the changes made to this subdivision by Laws 2002, LB 417, shall apply to policies of insurance against liability arising under the act with an effective date on or after January 1, 2003, but shall not apply to any such policy with an effective date prior to January 1, 2003; (10) Each individual employer, partner, limited liability company member, or self-employed person who is actually engaged in the individual employer's, partnership's, limited liability company's, or self-employed person's business on a substantially full-time basis who elects to bring himself or herself within the provisions of the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act. Such election shall be in writing and filed with the workers' compensation insurer. Such election shall be effective upon receipt by the insurer for the current policy and subsequent policies issued by such insurer and shall remain in effect until the election is terminated, in writing, by such person and the termination is filed with the insurer or until the insurer ceases to provide coverage for the business, whichever occurs first. If insurance is provided through a master policy or a multiple coordinated policy pursuant to the Professional Employer Organization Registration Act on or after January 1, 2012, then such election or termination of election shall also be filed with the professional employer organization. If coverage under the master policy or multiple coordinated policy ceases, then such election shall also be effective for a replacement master policy or multiple coordinated policy obtained by the professional employer organization and shall remain in effect for the new policy as provided in this subdivision. If any such person who is actually engaged in the business on a substantially full-time basis has not elected to bring himself or herself within the provisions of the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act pursuant to this subdivision and a health, accident, or other insurance policy covering such person contains an exclusion of coverage if such person is otherwise entitled to workers' compensation coverage, such exclusion shall be null and void as to such person; and (11) An individual lessor of a commercial motor vehicle leased to a motor carrier and driven by such individual lessor who elects to bring himself or herself within the provisions of the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act. Such election is made if he or she agrees in writing with the motor carrier to have the same rights as an employee only for purposes of workers' compensation coverage maintained by the motor carrier. For an election under this subdivision, the motor carrier's principal place of business must be in this state and the motor carrier must be authorized to self-insure liability under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act. Such an election shall (a) be effective from the date of such written agreement until such agreement is terminated, (b) be enforceable against such self-insured motor carrier in the same manner and to the same extent as claims arising under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act by employees of such self-insured motor carrier, and (c) not be deemed to be a contract of insurance for purposes of Chapter 44. Section 48-111 shall apply to the individual lessor and the self-insured motor carrier with respect to personal injury or death caused to such individual lessor by accident or occupational disease arising out of and in the course of performing services for such self-insured motor carrier in connection with such lease while such election is effective. History: Laws 1913, c. 198, § 15, p. 583; R.S.1913, § 3656; Laws 1917, c. 85, § 4, p. 201; Laws 1921, c. 122, § 1, p. 519; C.S.1922, § 3038; Laws 1927, c. 39, § 1, p. 169; C.S.1929, § 48-115; Laws 1933, c. 90, § 1, p. 362; Laws 1941, c. 93, § 1, p. 370; C.S.Supp.,1941, § 48-115; R.S.1943, § 48-115; Laws 1959, c. 222, § 1, p. 782; Laws 1961, c. 233, § 1, p. 689; Laws 1963, c. 282, § 1, p. 841; Laws 1967, c. 289, § 1, p. 788; Laws 1967, c. 291, § 1, p. 793; Laws 1969, c. 391, § 1, p. 1373; Laws 1973, LB 25, § 1; Laws 1973, LB 150, § 1; Laws 1973, LB 239, § 2; Laws 1975, LB 186, § 1; Laws 1976, LB 782, § 14; Laws 1977, LB 199, § 1; Laws 1981, LB 20, § 1; Laws 1983, LB 185, § 1; Laws 1984, LB 776, § 1; Laws 1986, LB 528, § 6; Laws 1986, LB 811, § 33; Laws 1987, LB 353, § 1; Laws 1993, LB 121, § 282; Laws 1994, LB 884, § 63; Laws 1996, LB 43, § 8; Laws 1997, LB 138, § 38; Laws 1997, LB 474, § 2; Laws 1998, LB 1010, § 1; Laws 1999, LB 216, § 1; Laws 2002, LB 417, § 2; Laws 2003, LB 332, § 1; Laws 2005, LB 238, § 1; Laws 2010, LB579, § 14; Laws 2020, LB1002, § 42.