Professionals in need of workers’ compensation benefits often focus on their physical symptoms. They know they need to see a doctor to set a broken bone or provide other necessary treatment. They want to address their injuries or illnesses as quickly as possible so that they can continue working.
Particularly when an employee works in a blue-collar profession, they may focus primarily on regaining the physical capabilities necessary to perform key job functions. They may overlook the mental health implications of their injury. The way they react emotionally after the injury can impact their career and even their benefits.
How can mental health potentially impact a workers’ compensation claim?
Employees may give up too easily
Depression symptoms are a common response to a debilitating medical condition. Professionals who suddenly have to deal with functional limitations may feel a sense of despair. They may give up or procrastinate because they are deeply unhappy with their circumstances. Workers may fail to follow appropriate procedures, such as reporting matters to their employer and submitting appropriate paperwork related to their injuries. Those oversights can then impact their eligibility for benefits.
Returning to work could be a challenge
Workers who sustain major injuries on the job could also potentially develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or anxiety related to their job functions. The mental health consequences of their experience at work could make it difficult for them to return to their job and perform their tasks confidently.
Workers may need mental health support to address their fears and learn to manage their trauma responses. They may be eligible for workers’ compensation coverage to help pay for that treatment if they can connect their mental health symptoms to a physical injury sustained in the workplace.
Claims involving mental health benefits can be more complex than claims that primarily focus on physical injuries. Workers dealing with the mental health consequences of an on-the-job injury may need support as they pursue workers’ compensation.
An attorney can help workers avoid common pitfalls associated with emotional challenges after an injury by advising them of their rights and overseeing their workers’ compensation claim. Acknowledging that the mental health impact of a work injury is a real concern could be the first step toward a worker recovering physically, emotionally and financially.