If you’re struggling with a mental illness, you know that you need as much help as someone with a physical ailment. Mental illnesses can cause real symptoms, like headaches, stomachaches, aches and pains and others.
If you’ve ever been stressed at work, you might be able to get your mental health evaluations and treatment covered by workers’ compensation. There is a trick to this, though, because as anyone knows, all workplaces are somewhat stressful. The point that you have to prove is that your stress resulted in a permanent impairment, that you were stressed primarily because of work, and that the stress was above a normal level for the position in which you worked.
This claim isn’t a typical claim, and it can be difficult to put an exact length of time on recovery. That’s why you have to prove your injury at a much higher level. Work-related stress claims can be vague, but with the right information from a medical provider and others, you can prove your case.
Here’s an example of work-related stress you may be able to be compensated for. Consider this scenario:
You were at work when an emergency took place. You witnessed a worker fall and suffer a serious injury. That worker died later. The trauma of the incident caused immense stress, and you now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. This is a real condition with physical manifestations of anxiety that can make it impossible to work.
Our website has more information on stress in the workplace and what to do if you feel you’ve suffered a mental health-related illness.
