Does Workers Comp Cover Mental Health
- Posted on: Apr 30 2023
When it comes to mental health and workers’ compensation, the impact can be more far reaching than individuals with physical injuries. With mental issues including depression, stress, and anxiety, the issues may seem impossible to manage and cause injuries in the workplace.
Covered Mental Health Conditions
Coverage for mental health injuries can be complicated. When it comes to workers’ compensation that are related to mental health, the cases are reviewed individually.
When coverage is sought, proof will need to be provided that shows their mental health was affected by work. The circumstances leading up to the injury will also need to be shown as relating to the job.
As opposed to physical injuries, coverage for a mental health injury may not be obvious. However, when your employer’s workers’ compensation policy covers stress, PTSD, depression, and anxiety, it may need to be bad enough where job duties become disrupted.
While there is such a thing as having work-related stress, the amount does not rise to a high enough level that prevents work. Regardless, many who have a traumatic work experience may suffer from a mental health injury that can be diagnosed. When a job function is not able to be performed, then benefits for workers’ compensation can be sought.
Proving An Injury Involving Mental Health
When an employer decides to challenge a claim for workers’ compensation, the employee needs to have proof that the injury was work related. In order to prove the mental health issue was caused by work, the following must be present:
- Evidence must be objective and supports the claim
- A finding must be available in order for the evidence to be believable
- Conditions of the workplace must be seen as stressful
Although a connection showing an injury occurring on the job can be difficult, a traumatic event may be linked such as an assault or a robbery that causes anxiety or stress.
A majority of injuries involving mental health are gradual because of your work difficulty. When this is the case, the condition may not be proved easily. A good example is attempting to prove that stress was caused in the office or in your personal life involving family stress.
In order for difficulties such as these to be overcome, it is a good idea to work with your healthcare professional to determine if your mental health injury was work related. Once determined, you will be able to obtain the workers’ compensation for your injuries. Get in touch with our office today to determine if your workers; compensation covers your mental health.
Posted in: Blog, Work Injuries, Workers Compensation
