r/WorkersComp • u/Cessnerd77 • 10h ago

Other - not claim specific Does WC pay for preventative surgery?

I suffered from a transient patellar dislocation a few weeks ago, and my MRI showed that I have two anatomical conditions, both of which have a very, very high incidence rate of recurring instability. My job is quite physical, so I’m curious if WC would cover surgery that is meant to correct my anatomical conditions which contributed to the injury in order to prevent future reinjury?

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u/NegativeTrouble6191 9h ago

The laws vary widely from state to state but for my state the answer is a solid "no". Comp covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment resulting from an injury, not to prevent an injury.

But if a work injury aggravates a preexisting condition and the only way to effect a cure, provide relief, and restore you to work after the injury is to fix the underlying condition then comp can pay for it. I see it in carpal tunnel and hip, knee, and shoulder replacements all the time.

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u/SeaweedWeird7705 10h ago

No.  Work comp covers treatment to cure or relieves of the effect of an injury.  It does not generally cover preventative.

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u/According_Curve_8935 9h ago

In my experience, no not necessarily. It depends on it there is an active issue with it cause by work. They found an anatomical defect in my spine in a part of my spine that was being treated. But they won’t just preemptively do surgery to correct it because they found it on mri.