The Ohio workers’ compensation system protects professionals from financial hardship caused by work-related medical challenges. When people develop occupational illnesses or get injured on the job, workers’ compensation can provide support through health coverage and also through disability benefits. Professionals with qualifying claims are eligible for full medical coverage for necessary treatment and disability benefits that can replace a portion of their lost income.
Many people can quickly validate their eligibility for workers’ compensation because they sustained an injury in an on-the-job incident or have a newly-acquired repetitive motion disorder that directly relates to their primary job functions. Incident reports and medical records can quickly connect the condition or injury to the professional’s employment. For others, the claims process can be much more difficult to navigate.
Some workers may have pre-existing conditions that worsen substantially due to their employment. Can workers’ compensation help in those cases?
Coverage might be available
Contrary to what many people assume, Ohio workers’ compensation does cover pre-existing injuries and medical conditions in qualifying circumstances. Typically, the injured employee must have objective medical evidence validating the claim that the work they perform substantially worsened their pre-existing medical condition.
Documentation of their prior symptoms and treatment, as well as medical reports affirming changes in their care needs or symptoms, can help support the assertion that a worker’s pre-existing condition became noticeably worse due to their employment. They may need to undergo an in-depth evaluation to prove the functional impact of their aggravated condition and worsening symptoms.
Workers anticipating a difficult claims process may need help. An employee already dealing with on-the-job challenges and debilitating injury symptoms may feel overwhelmed at the prospect of needing to collect medical evidence, file complicated paperwork and potentially negotiate with professionals about the nature of their condition and how their job impacted their symptoms.
Retaining the support of a workers’ compensation attorney can be the best option available for those in need of benefits for pre-existing conditions. An attorney’s support leaves a worker able to focus on their recovery and daily needs instead of trying to learn a completely new system and handle a bureaucratic process on their own behalf.