L ABOR & EMPLOYMENT
Covid-19 and Work-Related Psychological Injury By DR. BRUCE LECKART
V
ast numbers of people are getting anxious and depressed, and experiencing a variety of psychologically produced physical symptoms as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. These symptoms can be caused by fear of illness to themselves, relatives and friends; by occupational events such as their employer closing its business; or events
8
TODAYSGENERALCOUNSEL.COM APRIL 202 1
unrelated to their occupation. In addition to serious illnesses and deaths, there are significant postinfection complications, some psychological, that we still do not understand. The list is astounding. In workers’ compensation, the most important considerations are whether the circumstances that cause the problem are workrelated and whether the condition
constitutes a mental health injury as defined by the Labor Code and/ or legal regulations in your jurisdiction. In some locales, if you get Covid-19 at work and become psychologically symptomatic, that psychological illness is legally not work-related. In other jurisdictions, psychopathology is only compensable if it was produced by physical symptoms of the BACK TO CONTENTS
