An employee, whose diabetes is out of control, punches out at 3 pm. Before leaving the company parking lot, he faints and falls fracturing his elbow. You should:

An employee, whose diabetes is out of control, punches out at 3 pm. Before leaving the company parking lot, he faints and falls fracturing his elbow. You should:

• A. pay for the treatment for the fracture and pay for the treatment for the diabetes so that the fracture can heal
• B. pay just for the fracture
• C. deny the claim because it occurred after work
• D. deny the claim because it is not work-related

Answer: (A)

In California workers’ compensation, medical benefits cover treatment for a work-related injury and any related conditions that are reasonably necessary to cure or relieve the effects of the injury. If an accident happens on the employer’s premises or in the course of employment, the resulting injuries are compensable, even if a preexisting condition contributed to the incident, and treatment can include addressing conditions that affect healing. Here, the employee fainted and fractured an elbow after punching out, on the company parking lot. The fainting was linked to uncontrolled diabetes, so the diabetes contributed to the sequence leading to the injury. To properly heal the fracture and prevent further complications, addressing the diabetes is necessary. Therefore, the employer’s workers’ compensation coverage would pay for both the fracture treatment and the diabetes management that is reasonably required to cure or relieve the effects of the injury. Denying the claim because it happened after work or because it isn’t work-related isn’t appropriate here, since the incident occurred on the employer’s premises and is tied to the work context. Paying only the fracture without managing the contributing diabetes would neglect a condition that affects healing.

In California workers’ compensation, medical benefits cover treatment for a work-related injury and any related conditions that are reasonably necessary to cure or relieve the effects of the injury. If an accident happens on the employer’s premises or in the course of employment, the resulting injuries are compensable, even if a preexisting condition contributed to the incident, and treatment can include addressing conditions that affect healing.

Here, the employee fainted and fractured an elbow after punching out, on the company parking lot. The fainting was linked to uncontrolled diabetes, so the diabetes contributed to the sequence leading to the injury. To properly heal the fracture and prevent further complications, addressing the diabetes is necessary. Therefore, the employer’s workers’ compensation coverage would pay for both the fracture treatment and the diabetes management that is reasonably required to cure or relieve the effects of the injury.

Denying the claim because it happened after work or because it isn’t work-related isn’t appropriate here, since the incident occurred on the employer’s premises and is tied to the work context. Paying only the fracture without managing the contributing diabetes would neglect a condition that affects healing.