Posts Tagged ‘ptsd’

Health Wonk Review & Other Noteworthy News

Thursday, January 17th, 2013

Health Wonk Review: The Inauguration Edition is freshly posted by Chris Fleming at the Health Affairs Blog. Here’s a preview: 2013 predictions, healthcare spending, risky behaviors, nursing workforce projections and more. A good and substantive edition: Get your wonk on.
Electric car crashes could pose new risk for first responders – With the proliferation of hybrids and new technologies, emergency workers that respond to the scene of an auto accident could be subject to shocks from batteries that have not powered down. See our prior post on Electric Vehicle Safety Training for first responders.
Are the flu & Tamiflu overhyped? – At Managed Care Matters, Joe Paduda casts a skeptical eye on the hoopla over the flu and the media’s propensity to blow everything up into a crisis. If it’s not shark month or killer bee week, we need some fear-factor issue to fascinate, worry, and horrify us. Don’t miss his comments on Tamiflu. But if you do need some workplace guidance, see Influenza tools & tips for you & your employees at HR Web Cafe. Also of interest: NIOSH Research on Airborne Influenza Transmission
A Primer on Fee Schedules – Peter Rousmaniere’s most recent column in Risk & Insurance is a good bookmark. He offers an overview and a rundown on the status quo on this complex and important managed care issue of how doctors get paid.
Internet-Use Disorder: The Newest Disability? – There’s apparently a growing catalog of technology related maladies – we’ve previously discussed Blackberry Thumb, Cell Phone Elbow, IPod Ear. But this one is actually included in the DSM-5 – although as a condition that requires further research. Jon Hyman of Ohio Employer’s Blog thinks it bears watching because if it is deemed a psychiatric disorder, then employees who suffer from it may be protected by the ADA. See his post for more on this.
For Americans Under 50, Stark Findings on Health – “Younger Americans die earlier and live in poorer health than their counterparts in other developed countries, with far higher rates of death from guns, car accidents and drug addiction, according to a new analysis of health and longevity in the United States.” Access the full report.
Drugs & Guns: Arming Investigators – Dave DePaolo posts that the Texas Medical Board (TMB) has asked the state’s attorney general to rule on whether the board may authorize its investigators to carry concealed handguns as private citizens when investigating pill mills. Drugs are a big and dangerous business. Ohio recently approved such a measure so the request is not without precedent.
CT officials hope to change workers comp law for Sandy Hook responders – Some lawmakers are looking to extend benefits to first responders for PTSD related to incidents like Sandy Hook (although it is unlikely any legislation would be retroactive). Currently, state law extends workers compensation benefits only to those who had a serious injury/fatality but not PTSD. We’ve seen this issue before: (Uncompensable) Nightmare at Work.
News Briefs

Treatment for War Trauma: Just Say “Om”

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012

As we begin to survey the damage from Hurricane Sandy, a symptom of the global warming that has been religiously ignored in the course of the presidential debates, our thoughts turn toward the impact of trauma: Sandy’s trauma involves man’s influence on nature, but in war we have trauma that is purely the result of mankind’s inability to live in peace.
About 2.4 million soldiers have cycled through the wars in Iraq and Afganistan. One third or more of those returning from battlefields suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) or depression. Suicide has overtaken combat as the leading cause of death in the Army. [That stark statement is worth a second read.] To date, treatment of PTSD has centered primarily on cognitive processing therapy (CPT), a labor-intensive approach that places veterans in a one-to-one relationship with a therapist. But only 40 percent who enroll actually benefit from the therapy, and even if it were more effective, the vast numbers of soldiers in need would require thousands of additional psychologists.
Tina Rosenberg writes in the New York Times of new approaches to treatment. Instead of using the one-to-one model, these new therapies work in groups. And instead of rehashing the images that gave rise to PTSD, these therapies focus on the present moment, long after the trauma has occurred. The Washington-based Center for Mind-Body Medicine has designed a course that involves conscious breathing, meditation, mindfulness, guided visual imagery and biofeedback. Other therapies include acupuncture and yoga. The Center has a proven track record, working with Kosovo high school students and Gaza residents. The techniques appear to work: following the ten-week program, participants in Kosovo had significantly lower symptoms of PTSD than non-participants.
In Gaza, center staff trained over 400 group leaders, who were able to provide therapeutic interventions with 50,000 people. Because of its group approach and relatively short training cycle, large numbers of people can be reached quickly and at very low cost. And retention levels within the training are much higher than those for individual counseling.
Life Skills
In comparison to CPT therapy, the group approach stresses practical coping skills. While there may still be some social stigma attached to participation in individual therapy, there is no such negativity associated with group work – aside, perhaps, from its New Age aura. Most important, the tools being taught are universal: we all experience stress and some degree of trauma and we all need practical techniques to help us adjust to the pace of modern life. Teaching life skills such as mindfulness and meditation does not isolate PTSD sufferers from everyone else; to the contrary, the fundamental lesson is that we all experience suffering and we are all in this together.
Surely these same group techniques would be helpful to devastated citizens recovering from this week’s unprecedented natural disaster.
Teach Politicians to Breath?
I often wonder what would happen if our politicians were taught a few mindfulness exercises. Perhaps there would be more compassion in the world. Perhaps law and policy makers would pause a minute before they spoke, before they ridiculed their opponents or declared war on another country. Perhaps the elected officials who find life sacred at the moment of conception but insignificant once birth occurs would empathize with the plight of women compelled to carry a rapist’s child.
These are agitating thoughts, indeed. Time to take a deep breath, sit still for a moment, and just say “om.”

Holiday Health Wonk Review, news notes, and holiday humor

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Gary Schwitzer makes his hosting debut with Unwrapping early presents, wrapping up ’11 Health Wonk Review series. Gary is the publisher of the excellent HealthNewsReview.org and its associated Health News Watchdog blog – take a look around while you are there.
Absence Management – The Disability Management Employers Coalition and Liberty Mutual recently released a set of best practice for absence management and easing the transition back to work after a disability leave. Download a whitepaper on Best Practices in Return to Work or view Taming the Intermittent Beast, a one-hour webinar on managing intermittent leave.
Support a good guy – Joe Paduda explains why you should join the Friends of Sandy Blunt on LinkedIn.
Desperate Housewives – Reality just got a little harsher for a would-be reality TV star caught in a huge California workers comp scam, She and her husband were charged with $30 million in premium fraud. “The couple gained notoriety in 2010 after fraud investigators raided several properties they owned and found luxury cars including a Bentley, two Ferraris, $500,000 in jewelry and $51,000 in cash. They also found an application for Kile to appear on the television show.”
Going and coming – Injuries that occur while traveling to and from work generally are not compensable. There are several common exceptions to this “going and coming” rule – if an employer provides transportation, if traveling is part of the normal course and scope of an employee’s job (such as a salesperson), or if the employee is on a “special mission” for the employer. Risk and Insurance reports on a recent benefit denial by the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division in a case where a company president was invoking the “special mission” exception for an injury that occurred during an early trip to work for a special meeting. In denying the appeal, the court reasoned that the exception did not apply because the president was not required to be away from the restaurant’s usual place of business and he did not have “identifiable time and space limits on his employment.”
Up in smoke – Roberto Ceniceros posts about a denied claim involving a landscaper injured after a fall from a tree. Ceniceros notes that, “A urine sample taken at the hospital the day after the Tennessee man fell showed he had an intoxicant level 50 times beyond the threshold for a positive result, leading a doctor to describe him as a chronic pot user.” The court concluded that while the employee was not guilty of willful misconduct, his intoxication was a proximate cause of the injuries.
Hope for PTSD relief?Wired has an interesting article on a how the Navy is testing neck injections to relieve PTSD. The unorthodox procedure, which is called stellate-ganglion block (SGB), has secured immediate relief for some PTSD sufferers.
NYWCB Web change – Effective December 20, the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) updated its website to use the standard “ny.gov” domain naming convention – the new web address is www.wcb.ny.gov. WorkersCompensation.com has more detail about related email changes.
On the lighter side: Holiday roundup
In honor of the holiday season, we’ve put together a grab bag of some fun holiday links. We wish all our friends the best for the season!

Annals of Compensability: Violence as a “Normal” Working Condition

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Here is a very interesting case from Pennsylvania, where the definition of “normal working conditions” is fraught with terror (and which, as a result, closes the door to comp compensability while potentially opening another to lawsuits). But in our excitement to discuss this intriguing case, we get ahead of ourselves.
Greg Kochanowicz worked as a manager for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. That might sound like an enforcement job, but ironically, his job was selling liquor from a retail outlet. On April 28, 2008, a masked man entered the store, pointed two guns at Greg and a co-worker, and forced them to empty the safe and cash register. The robber prodded the back of Greg’s head with one of the guns. After getting the cash, the robber used duct tape to tie Greg and his co-worker to chairs in the office. There was no physical harm – just the threat of violence if Greg did not cooperate.
Following this incident, Greg suffered from anxiety, depression and flashbacks. He was too traumatized to return to work. Diagnosed with PTSD, he collected temporary total benefits under workers comp for what Pennsylvania calls a “psychic” injury. (It is worth noting that in 1981 Greg’s brother was stabbed to death in a robbery, an incident for which Greg received no counseling or support.)
Abnormal Justice
Greg’s employer appealed the WCJ ruling. A split panel of judges (4-3) reversed the finding of compensability on the basis that armed robberies were a “normal” working condition – and only “abnormal” working conditions lead to compensability for PTSD/”psychic” injuries. That’s a very interesting notion, indeed.
In its reversal, the appeals court noted that robberies were quite common among the Liquor Control Board stores: in the five county area, there were 99 robberies since 2002, an average of one a month. In addition, employees were acutely aware of the risks. They received a written pamphlet entitled “Things you should know about armed robbery.” Greg had read the booklet and received training related to it. In fact, he followed the employer’s written protocol to the letter, thereby avoiding bodily harm to himself and his co-worker.
The appeals court is saying that armed robberies should come as no surprise to liquor board employees. They have been forewarned. And in the view of a majority of the judges, forewarned is foreclosed: there can be no compensability for a psychic injury as a result of normal working conditions. (Had Greg been shot, however, he would have had a compensable injury.)
OSHA to the Rescue?
The appeals court states that having a gun pressed to the back of the head is a “normal” working condition. If this is indeed true, then the employer has put employees in a workplace that is fraught with risk. This is something employers are not allowed to do.
Here is OSHA’s General Duty Clause:

“Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.”

If the court is correct, if armed robberies are a “normal” working condition, then the employer has failed to eliminate an unacceptable risk. By leaving unarmed employees in high risk areas, they are out of compliance with OSHA standards. Given their knowledge of the likelihood of robberies, they should place armed guards in each store, particularly in evening hours. Their failure to protect employees from an all-too-routine hazard is unacceptable and may be grounds for lawsuits.
This case is wending its way toward the PA Supreme Court, where the arguments of the dissenting judges, led by Renee Cohn Jubelirer, are likely to prevail. Greg will probably qualify once again for workers comp. Yes, he received training in violence; he was well aware of the risks in his job; he even handled the situation with exemplary composure. But there is nothing normal about having a gun pressed into the back of your head, unless you are an actor taping a cop show for cable TV.

10 Years After 9/11 – insurance reflections and more

Monday, September 12th, 2011

First responders and oral histories
We are mindful that the 9-11 story was one that largely affected ordinary people who were going about their workdays. When the planes hit, thousands of first responders jumped into action and their courage and quick actions helped to save untold thousands. Among the many remembrances and stories in the10-year commemorative events, we found the 60 Minutes story on the experiences of first responders to be particularly powerful. It focused on 911 Responders Remember, an oral history project initiated by Dr. Benjamin Luft, director of the Long Island World Trade Center Program (the SUNY-Stony Brook arm of the WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program consortium). This Center of Excellence provides service and monitoring to approximately 5,000 WTC responders across Long Island. These men and women are law enforcement officers, construction workers, electricians, emergency medical personnel, firefighters, iron workers, plumbers, dog handlers, doctors, and many others.
In addition to cancer, respiratory and pulmonary disorders and other physical problems, many workers still suffer from varying levels of emotional or psychological distress, including PTSD. This project is a national historical record, a public health document, and for many participants, a therapeutic exercise which allows them to open up to tell about events or things that they witnessed that they may not previously been able to talked about.

See more testimonies.
Related: A decade later, the list of Sept. 11 victims continues to grow
Related: Fight Over Compensation for 9/11 Responders Shifts to Cancer Victims.
Hitting close to home
September 11 took an extremely heavy toll on the insurance industry. The terrible events claimed the lives of 295 employees of Marsh & McLennan and 176 employees at Aon Corporation. Dave Lenckus of Business Insurance offers recollections from insurance executives who were connected with or escaped from the WTC in his article Terror of September 11 lives in memory. Also see the company tribute pages: Remember: September 11, 2001 – a site to remember and celebrate the lives of those Aon employees lost on September 11, 2001, and Marsh & McLennan 9/11 Memorial – both a website and a physical memorial.
Tribute song & Firefighter Foundation
After 9/11, our own Tom Lynch recorded a 9/11 Tribute Song with Peter Clemente at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA. Actor and comedian Denis Leary used the song to raise money for the New York fallen firefighters. Leary is very devoted to firefighters and runs the Leary Firefighters Foundation. The Foundation was established in 2000 in response to a tragic fire in Worcester, Massachusetts that claimed the lives of Leary’s cousin, a childhood friend, and four other firefighters. The Leary Firefighters Foundation’s mission is to provide funding and resources for Fire Departments to obtain the best available equipment, technology and training. Inadequate equipment – particularly faulty tracking and radio equipment – contributed to deaths in both events.
Insurance media coverage
PropertyCasualty360: 9/11: 10 Years Later, Execs & Risk Managers Weigh In on How Industry Has Changed
Insurance Journal: 9/11 and Terrorism Risk 10 Years Later and Why 9-11 Changed Everything
Risk & Insurance: Selling Carriers on Rebuilding Ground Zero
Risk Management Monitor: Ten Years After
Occupational Health & Safety: NFPA Cites Safety Improvements Rising from 9/11
CNNTech: How 9/11 inspired a new era of robotics
workerscompensation.com: 9/11 Tribute
Other resources
Understanding 9-11: A Television News Archive – a library of news coverage of the events of 9/11/2001 and their aftermath as presented by U.S. and international broadcasters. A resource for scholars, journalists, and the public, it presents one week of news broadcasts for study, research and analysis.
The Encyclopedia of 9/11 – from New York Magazine
The September 11 Digital Archive

Risk, ADA, OSHA, fraud & other workers comp news notes

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Risk roundup – Check out this week’s Cavalcade of Risk.
Americans with Disabilities – This week’s must-read is Dan Reynold’s essay in Risk & Insurance: Disability in the Second Act. He says, “… it’s not that the amended act, which goes into effect on May 24, represents a new game. It’s that the amended act has returned the ADA to its original, intended scope.” The article offers advice for employers to prepare for the changes.
OSHA gets tough on distracted driving – If your employees are texting while driving, the stakes just got higher. Jon Gelman posts about OSHA’s plan to fine employers for distracted driving accidents. This is part of OSHA’s initiative to reduce transportation accidents, the top cause of worker fatalities. Gelman says, “OSHA will investigate motor vehicle accidents, including cell phone records, and will issue citations and fine employers where an accident involved texting while driving. While OSHA has jurisdiction over employers, and not employees, it hopes to encourage all employers to declare motor vehicles a “text free zone.” More information and resources at the OSHA Distracted Driving page.
Fraud – to paraphrase the common horror film trope, “the fraud is coming from inside the house. When people refer to workers comp fraud, more often than not they are talking about employees. But as we’ve noted many times, employer fraud such as misclassification, is also a huge and costly problem. There are other players too – such as doctor mills, dishonest agents, and this week, Roberto Ceniceros points to a fairly egregious example of TPA adjuster fraud.
Limits on comp for PTSD?SafetyNewsAlert talks about legislative efforts to curb permanent workers’ comp coverage for mental distress. A bill that is currently under review in Maine is drawing opposition from first responders. Here’s more on the proposed Maine legislation.
Dangerous technologies – In the new and emerging health risks department, we bring you Facebook Depression. Add this to the many other emerging technology-related maladies: Blackberry Thumb, Cell Phone Elbow, IPod Ear.
News briefs

Remembering Katrina

Monday, August 30th, 2010

If you haven’t discovered the gem that is the Boston Globe’s “Big Picture” yet, you are missing a wonderful feature. Billed as “news stories in photographs” it is a themed news essay curated by Alan Taylor. From the BP oil disaster to the floods in Pakistan, the photos add a visual narrative to breaking stories of the day.
This past week, as in many media outlets, the focus was on Katrina. With a human toll of more than 1,800 dead and an economic toll exceeding $80 billion, the 5-year anniversary merits our attention.
For many of us, the anniversary is a look back, but for many of those who experienced it first hand, Katrina is a continuing nightmare. News reports point to ongoing health problems, from mental health issues to general health problems, such as skin infections and respiratory illnesses: “A recent study published in a special issue of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry found elevated concentrations of lead, arsenic and other toxic chemicals were present throughout New Orleans, particularly in the poorer areas of the city. It suggested that widespread cleanup efforts and demolition had stirred up airborne toxins known to cause adverse health effects.”
Many residents, particularly children, are still still experiencing severe emotional and psychological disturbances. The National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health has been conducting studies on Gulf coast residents, and recently issued a white paper in coordination with the Children’s Health Fund:

“Together, these documents indicate that although considerable progress has been made in rebuilding the local economy and infrastructure, there is still an alarming level of psychological distress and housing instability. Investigators believe that housing and community instability and the uncertainty of recovery undermine family resilience and the emotional health of children. These factors characterize what researchers are calling a failed recovery for the Gulf region’s most vulnerable population: economically disadvantaged children whose families remain displaced.”

Looking back to look ahead
It’s no mystery why FEMA would designate September as National Preparedness Month. Between the man-made disaster of 9-11 and nature’s twin-wallop of Katrina and Rita, it’s certainly been a month fraught with peril, at least in terms of the last decade. In particular, FEMA is calling on businesses to be ready with disaster plans, and offers resources for that purpose.
A crisis by its very nature is unpredictable and random. But from a risk management point of view, it’s important for businesses to examine past events so that lessons learned can become part of planning for future crises with an eye to minimizing losses and disruption.
Perhaps one of the best articles we’ve seen on this theme is Crisis Management of Human Resources: Lessons From Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This article discusses the three phases of crisis management: planning and preparation; immediate event response; and post crisis, or recovery. It cites specific companies and the way they problem-solved aspects of the Katrina crisis, and points to the importance of putting some plans in place: having and circulating an alternative emergency communication systems plan; keeping contact information and next-of-kin data current; maintaining communications with employees during an emergency; having updated policies and procedures for compensation and benefit continuation; making resources such as EAP services available to employees; and having flexible and alternative work arrangements.

News roundup: complex care, WV, VT, obesity & more

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Happy post holiday weekend. This is a big vacation week, but if you are one of the many who is on the job today, here’s a serving of a few news items that caught our attention.
Complex Care – here at Lynch Ryan, we focus on helping injured workers to recover and get back to normal life activities, including work, as soon as possible. But the reality is that some workers have serious injuries that require long-term recovery or permanent care. The Work Comp Complex Care Blog focuses on issues related to injured workers who require ongoing care. A few notable recent posts on things that can have a positive impact on outcome over the long term: Success Story: Simple Change Makes A Big Difference For Injured Worker and Standing Improves Mobility and Wellness in Patients Confined to Wheelchair.
West Virginia – We’ve been seeing a spate of stories about state workers comp programs moving from BrickStreet to private carriers. BrickStreet has been the sole provider of such insurance for government agencies, but that changed as of today, July 1. BrickStreet says this is to be expected, the same thing happened when competition went into effect for private sector clients two years ago.
Vermont is cracking down – Vermont employers who don’t carry workers comp beware: your business may be shuttered. Previously, when an employer was found to be without workers comp coverage, there was a five-day grace period to obtain coverage before business closure, along with a fine of $150 a day. The Vermont legislature recently increased penalties for noncompliance – employers found without workers comp coverage must now be closed immediately and fines have been increased to $250 per day. In addition, as of September, the Labor Department will add four limited service positions to step up enforcement.
OSHA challenge – CalOSHA is convening a panel on how to better protect workers in the adult film industry. OSHA’s existing state blood-borne pathogens regulations already cover condom use in productions filmed in the state, but many in the industry oppose mandatory condom use. It’s a serious issue — Los Angeles health officials have linked eight of as many as 22 possible HIV infections identified between 2004 and 2008 as tied to the industry.
Economic indicators – Roberto Ceniceros offers a roundup of recent economic news. In another post, he cites a recent news report noting that five Ohio pension funds and the state’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation owned 30 million shares of BP stock, and wonders whether other state comp funds might be similarly affected.
Catastrophic risk scenarios – Jared Wade of Risk Management Monitor tells us about 7 potential disasters worse than the BP spill.
Obesity – At Booster Shots, the LA Times health blog, Tami Dennis notes that the obesity rate now tops 25% in two-thirds of the states, with Colorado being the only state coming in under 20%. The data is from a recent report F as in Fat: How obesity threatens America’s future (pdf), which was issued by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
DC court says no to PTSD – the D.C. Court of Appeals denied benefits to a former Pepco employer who sought benefits for a work-related case of post-traumatic stress disorder. Benjamin Ramey claimed that he suffered fear and embarrassment that resulted in PTSD after being tested for being drunk on the job. After the drug testing, Ramey was placed on suspension and enrolled in a rehabilitation program, but fired when he was ejected from treatment due to continued drinking.
Note to fraudsters – If you are out on workers’ comp disability benefits, you may want to think twice about accepting a part in a Hollywood film.

(Uncompensable) Nightmare at Work

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

In December we blogged the horrendous case of Carla Nash, a lovely woman who was mauled by a chimpanzee owned by Sandra Herold, a friend. The 200 pound chimp literally ripped her face apart. Nash, who lacks health insurance, has been hospitalized for over a year at the Cleveland Clinic. The attack destroyed her vision and rendered her face unrecognizable (and unviewable). Doctors have determined that she is not ready for a facial transplant. She has sued Herold for $50 million. Her medical bills will easily run to 7 figures; who will pay has yet to be determined.In our prior blog, we noted that Herold was trying to limit the exposure to her workers comp policy.
A little lost in Nash’s tragedy is the fate of Frank Chiafari, the Stamford, Connecticut police officer who came to Nash’s aid. The raging, blood-covered chimp approached Chiafari’s cruiser, tore off the mirror, ripped open the door and tried to attack the policeman. Chiafari shot and killed the chimp.
In the weeks and months following the incident, Chiafari suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); he experienced anxiety, flashbacks, mood swings and nightmares. He underwent counseling. (It’s not clear how much time, if any, he was away from work.) Chiafari’s workers comp claim was denied: under Connecticut law, public safety officers are eligible for PTSD benefits only when they shoot people – not animals.
Compensating for the Uncompensated
The good news is that Stamford has been covering Chiafari’s medical bills, although they did require him to switch to a therapist of the city’s choosing. The even better news is that Chiafari has literally been working his way through this work-related nightmare. He is still on the job.
There is movement in the Connecticut legislature to amend the workers comp statute so that public safety officers are covered for PTSD resulting from the use of deadly force involving animals. As is so often the case, the law will be adjusted long after the incident that exposed the gap in coverage. Fortunately for officer Chiafari, the city, despite the comp denial, recognized the legitimacy of his claim and paid for the needed counseling. They did the right thing for an officer who did the right thing. Nothing will erase the horrible images from that fateful day last February. But life for Chiafari can go on in all its ordinary splendor – more than we can say, alas, for the ill-fated Carla Nash.

A Toke In Time

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Six years ago Robin Hove was working as a security guard. The Saskatchewan resident became entangled with a shoplifter. In the course of the struggle, an open cut in the shoplifter’s mouth bled onto Hove: “The blood came pouring out of his mouth, into my eyes and into my mouth and I was just drowning in it.” Ugh.
Hove, suffering from post-traumatic stress, has not worked since the incident. For five years, his doctor prescribed conventional anxiety medications. None worked. Then his doctor prescribed medical marijuana. Bingo. Hove began to enjoy life again. While still incapable of working, he was able to get out of the house and function somewhat normally. A few tokes and he was as good as new.
Unfortunately for Hove, the Saskatchewan Workers Compensation Board does not recognize medical marijuana as a legitimate medication; marijuana is not listed in the catalogue of approved pharmaceuticals. Hove has to pay for the pot himself. It’s running a whopping $600 per month (and they used to refer to “nickel bags”!).
Hove is appealing the board’s denial of his request that his marijuana expenses be reimbursed. My advice to Hove: don’t hold your breath. The board is unlikely to budge.
Like, Heroic
Hove found himself in the news recently. He was enjoying a coffee at a local restaurant when a robber armed with a machete tried to rob a nearby gas station. Hove reacted instinctively and heroically, helping to subdue the man. He received a commendation from the mayor for his selfless actions.
Hove’s heroism does raise a couple of questions: what is the relationship between his post-traumatic stress and his ability to intervene in a dangerous situation? Was he “stoned” (sorry about that) or unmedicated when he took action? And finally, if he is capable of heroic acts, why can’t he go back to work?
If Hove’s ability to act is directly related to his consumption of pot, he is probably not employable. No employer would or could tolerate an employee constantly functioning under the influence of marijuana. Thus in all likelihood, Hove will continue his spacy path as an individual with a disability. He will find comfort in his drug of choice, but it will take a third of his limited disability income to pay for the medication. There’s a lot of anxiety in the situation, but relief is just a toke away.