Can an employee recover workers’ compensation for an idiopathic injury?

No. An employee cannot recover workers’ compensation for an idiopathic injury, an injury with an unknown cause. An example would be if an employee is walking at work and turns their ankle for no reason.

A requirement for a workers’ compensation claim is that the injury arises out of the employment. Just being at work does not meet that requirement. The injury must be connected in some way to the work.