Over the past two years we have heard the term comorbidity a lot when it comes to risk of contracting COVID-19. Before vaccines were readily available for instance there was a higher risk that if someone was obese that they may contract a more serious form of the illness and had a greater risk of death. Comorbidity is not a new term, but it has been introduced into common language over the last few years.
When it comes to filing a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim, if you have a comorbidity you may require a longer stint away from work to recover from your injury that you sustained at the workplace. Now, this may cause some concerns for insurance companies and employers, but it should not affect your claim or your prescribed time away from the job in order to recover.
Some of the medical issues that may be considered a comorbidity when you get injured at work may include, but are not limited to;
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Obesity
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Diabetes
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Tobacco Use
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Substance Abuse
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Mental health challenges
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Recreational drug use
Should you be concerned if you have one of these comorbidities? The short answer is, no, not from a workers’ compensation standpoint. Whether you have underlying medical conditions should not be taken into account when your claim is being considered, even if those underlying conditions require that you are out of work longer to recover from your injury.
While an injury to someone with a comorbidity may make an employer uneasy or face challenges like an employee who will have a longer stint away from the workplace, it is not considered to be a responsibility that you, as the employee, must take on. Your employer may face increased insurance costs, more disability days, and other business challenges, these should not fall at your feet when you’re filing a claim.
You do not have any responsibility to change your comorbidity or take any action to make this additional challenge go away for your employer. You have been hired to do a job, in your current physical and mental state, and if you get injured on the job your employer may not hold your comorbidities against you in any way when you file a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim.
If you are injured at the workplace and whether you have a comorbidity or not, you may need to speak with an experienced and board certified attorney who can help you navigate the claims process. Contact our office and one of our attorneys will speak with you and work with you to protect your long-term interests.
