Dr. Jett

The worker, a paramedic, appealed a decision denying entitlement to benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic mental stress, and chronic mental stress.

The worker alleged that their PTSD was caused by traumatic events experienced during their employment.

The Appeals Resolution Officer found that the contemporary medical evidence and the worker's prior reporting indicated that the worker's mental stress injury was primarily caused by interpersonal conflicts and the employer's decisions or actions that are part of the employment function, such as promotions and leaves of absence.

As these factors are excluded from entitlement under the relevant operational policies, the presumption of work-relatedness for PTSD was rebutted, and the appeal was denied.

The applicant sought a determination that her accident-related impairments met the definition of a catastrophic impairment under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule.

The Tribunal found that the applicant sustained a marked impairment in the areas of activities of daily living, concentration, persistence and pace, and adaptation due to a mental or behavioural disorder.

The Tribunal preferred the evidence of the applicant's experts, noting the applicant's pre-existing vulnerabilities and significant post-accident functional decompensation.

As the applicant met the catastrophic threshold under section 3(2)(f), the Tribunal did not need to determine whether she met the 55% whole person impairment threshold under section 3(2)(e).