Did professor get workers’ comp for mental health breakdown?
May 2, 2011 by Fred HosierPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Lawsuits, Worker health, Workers' comp
PDF A former University of Northern Iowa (UNI) professor filed a claim for workers’ compensation benefits, claiming years of mistreatment by colleagues and administrators forced her to have a mental health breakdown. Now, a workers’ comp commissioner has ruled in the case.
The commissioner ruled Linda Sharp should not receive workers’ comp benefits because most experts who reviewed her case didn’t specifically blame her work-related stress for her breakdown. Another expert was found not to be credible.
Sharp had been a music instructor at UNI’s Malcolm Price Laboratory School.
She resigned in December in exchange for $210,000 in cash plus healthcare coverage for two years. Sharp also agreed to drop a lawsuit against the university, but she was allowed to continue to pursue her workers’ comp claim.
Sharp was seeking weekly benefits of $644 for tension headaches, anxiety attacks, problems sleeping and nightmares that made it impossible for her to work in most settings.
In his ruling, the workers’ comp commissioner noted that Sharp had a history of mental health problems before her work environment became difficult.
Sharp’s lawyer says her client is considering an appeal.
Under what conditions should an employee be able to get workers’ comp benefits for mental stress on the job? Let us know what you think in the Comments Box below.
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May 2nd, 2011 at 11:19 am
“Under what conditions should an employee be able to get workers’ comp benefits for mental stress on the job?”
Law enforcement, military, fire fighters, and other similar professions should receive the benefits. Only way other professions should be covered is for a traumatic event.
Normal day-to-day stress has no business being covered by WC.
May 3rd, 2011 at 10:22 am
We are all under multiple stress factors everyday and while a job may be stressful for many reasons, it is never the only factor. If we begin to pay WC for stress none of us would be working.
May 3rd, 2011 at 1:46 pm
If the school didn’t feel the work caused the stress why did they give her the money.
Not knowing the nature of her work and the conditions she’s working under it’s hard to say that she was’nt damaged goods before she started working or if her condition was aggravated by conditions beyond normal stress that we all have on the job.
May 10th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
I would just like to know what job is not stressful and perhaps we will all go to work there!! Does the worker really think they are entitled to WC for stress on the job? Now if she was threatened everyday and had a reasonable belief that the threats were going to be carried out, causing her extreme emotional distress, lack of sleep, and really pushed her beyond her mental capabilities, she could have a lawsuit against the workplace and or individuals but this is not a WC case.
May 25th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
The key here is previous mental health problems. Court didn’t specify what they where but apparently took it into account. The university paid her to go away, didn’t want the publicity. If they knew of her fragile mental health, her working conditions and never did anything to intercede on her behalf. Then they own it rather they like it or not which could also be why they paid her. She wanted WC because she couldn’t work at her profession. Not sure she should get it without knowing the nature of her previous mental health problem or the mental stress she suffered from her colleaques and what steps the university took to mediate, prevent or stop the abuse if any. Difficult to determine if what was done to her aggravated her previous health condition and whether the university was aware of it.
June 1st, 2011 at 2:01 pm
I BELIEVE THE 210000 WAS PAID FOR MORE OF A HARRASSEMENT ISSUE… AS FOR STRESS AT WORK NO WAY!!! STRESS COMES WITH ANY JOB