Does Workers’ Compensation Cover mental Illnesses?
Psychiatric illnesses could be debilitating enough and prevent you from working efficiently full-time. You may need to skip work for a few days or weeks while taking expensive medications.
Thus, you may wonder if you can claim workers’ compensation for a work-related psychological issue.
If yes, you may wonder how to claim benefits as psychiatric problems are challenging to prove.
Read on and understand how you can claim workers’ compensation for work-related mental illnesses.
Proving Work-Related Psychiatric Illnesses
Insurance providers often question the validity of psychological illnesses because it’s hard to prove.
It is mainly because:
- Psychiatric problems are not always visible to people around the victim
- These conditions don’t show on objective laboratory tests like x-rays.
- It’s challenging to prove that your mental illness is work-related.
- There is a possibility of developing psychological ailments from other causes outside the workplace.
Thus, insurance carriers often argue that a worker’s psychological problem isn’t work-related to deny a compensation claim.
However, these two tips can prove your condition and help you get the rightful compensation:
1. Compile All Your Evidence
Be sure you compile all documents that could support your case, like:
- Psychiatric evaluation results
- Work details from your employer prove diminishing work performance
- Witness statements confirming your condition
2. Hire a Workers’ Comp Attorney
The claiming process is stressful and could trigger your psychological issues.
Thus, you must hire a professional Glendale workers’ compensation attorney to handle your case while you rest. They will also communicate with the insurance provider and prove your claim on your behalf.
Claiming Workers’ Compensation for a Psychiatric Illness
Although hard to prove, you still deserve workers’ compensation for a work-related psychiatric illness. However, you have to satisfy these requirements for a claim approval:
1. You have a Diagnosed Psychiatric Illness
First, you should have a psychological problem diagnosed by a licensed psychiatrist. So, take a psychiatric evaluation report from your attending specialist and attach it as evidence to your workers’ comp claim.
2. Your Condition Causes Severe Consequences
Your psychiatric condition should also have severe effects on your daily life.
An example is clinical depression, where you find it difficult to leave your home and go to the office. Another example is you require medications to control particular psychological symptoms.
3. Your Mental Health Problem is Work-Related
Next, you can only file a workers’ compensation claim if your injury or illness is work-related. In the cases of psychological issues, work-related means at least 51% of all factors that cause your condition stem from the workplace.
Some reasonable causes of work-related psychological problems are:
- Workplace discrimination that causes depression and anxiety
- Cumulative psychological stress
- Extraordinary workplace incidents like a robber pointing their gun at you
- Physical accidents that cause post-traumatic stress disorder
However, the insurance provider could deny your claim if a non-discriminatory personnel action caused your mental illness. An example is when you acquire severe stress because of a job promotion denial.
4. You Must be at Least Six Months Employed On Your Current Workplace
You have to generally work for your current employer for at least six months before making a workers’ comp claim. However, the exception is when you have acquired a mental illness because of a sudden extraordinary event, like an accident.
Call a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Glendale to Claim Benefits for Psychiatric Illness
You deserve workers’ compensation if you are suffering from a psychiatric illness. Just be ready for the claim process to get the outcome you deserve.
And hiring a Glendale workers’ compensation attorney helps you get professional support to prove your psychological problem.