Workers’ compensation is often used to pay for medical treatment for injuries that occurred in the workplace. While these injuries could have occurred in an accident with workplace machinery or in a car crash, they could also have occurred in extremely stressful or traumatic environments where no physical harm was caused. When a person is affected mentally by their working environment, this is known as a psychiatric injury.
In California, it is possible to file for workers’ compensation as a result of psychiatric injuries. This is because mental illnesses can be equally as pervasive and limiting as any other type of injury. They also require extensive medical treatment and time off work in order to recover.
What are the challenges of filing for workers’ compensation as a result of a psychiatric injury?
Proving that mental health problems were actually caused by the working environment can be the biggest challenge in these cases. This is because workers’ compensation does not cover injuries that were acquired outside of work. Therefore, if an event in your private life largely contributed to your mental health, it may be difficult to gain workers’ compensation.
In order to successfully show that the psychiatric injury developed at work, you should try to gather evidence documenting the source of the injury. For example, if you witnessed a traumatic event at work, you could cite this. Additionally, it can be possible to claim workers’ compensation for a psychiatric injury after being bullied or abused by a co-worker.
If you are suffering from psychiatric problems after a bad experience at work, it is important that you take action to get the compensation that you deserve.