State ex rel. McKnabb v. Indus. Comm.

**What Happened** A worker was fired for being late to work and then applied for temporary total disability benefits through workers' compensation. The employer argued that the worker had voluntarily abandoned their job by being tardy and getting terminated, which should disqualify them from receiving these benefits. However, the employer did not have any written employment policies or disciplinary rules regarding tardiness. **What the Court Decided** The Ohio court ruled in favor of the worker. The court determined that temporary total disability compensation can only be denied when a worker is fired for violating a specific written work rule. Since this employer had no written policies about attendance or tardiness, the termination could not be considered a violation of written work rules, and therefore the worker remained eligible for benefits. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling protects workers from losing disability benefits when employers fire them without clear, written policies. Workers can still receive temporary total disability compensation even if they're terminated for performance issues, as long as the employer doesn't have written rules that were violated. This decision emphasizes the importance of employers having documented policies and ensures workers aren't unfairly denied benefits due to unclear workplace expectations.