Hood v. State, ex rel. Department of Workforce Services

Appellant suffered a work-related neck injury. The Wyoming Workers’ Safety and Compensation Division awarded Appellant benefits related to that injury and paid his associated medical bills. In 2011, Appellant began experiencing black outs, known as “syncope,” which he attributed to treatment of his neck injury. After Appellant fell during a syncope event, he sought approval from the Division for lower back surgery to treat an injury he received during the fall. The Division denied approval. The Medical Commission upheld the denial, and the district court affirmed. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the Commission did not act arbitrarily and capriciously when it denied Appellant benefits after determining that the benefits requested for injuries sustained during a syncope event were unrelated to Appellant’s workplace injury; and (2) the fact that the Division previously paid uncontested medical claims related to Appellant’s syncope did not preclude the Division from contesting the causation of the black outs for purposes of future benefits. View "Hood v. State, ex rel. Department of Workforce Services" on Justia Law