If you have recently developed a mental illness, such as PTSD, depression or anxiety, from your job in Sioux Falls or the surrounding areas, you may be wondering if you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
Each state has different workers’ compensation laws, so it is important to know what South Dakota law has to say about the matter.
Are mental injuries eligible for workers’ compensation?
Workers’ compensation is a system of benefits designed to help you pay the bills while you are recovering from a physical work injury. South Dakota workers’ compensation law does not currently cover mental injuries that are not connected to a physical job-related injury. However, if your mental illness has resulted from a physical injury, there is a chance that you are eligible for mental health coverage. For example, if you were housebound after a severe spinal injury at work and you developed debilitating depression from the pain and isolation, you may be eligible to receive mental health treatment as a part of your workers’ compensation claim.
Will mental illnesses ever be eligible for benefits?
While South Dakota workers’ compensation laws do not currently consider standalone mental illnesses to be compensable work injuries, the topic has come to the forefront of several states’ workers’ compensation discussions in recent years. Many states have created or expanded their lists of eligible work injuries to include mental illnesses as society progresses and the need for mental health care is more widely accepted.
Understanding South Dakota’s workers’ compensation laws can help prevent you from letting benefits slip through the cracks. If your mental injury stems from a work-related physical injury, you may still be able to obtain benefits.