Case: Health Care & Benefits/Long-Term Disability Benefits (Haw.)

The Hawaii Supreme Court vacated and remanded a lower court decision affirming the final decision of the Hawaii retirement system board dismissing an employee’s challenge to the denial of her long-term disability benefits. The employee, who worked in a school cafeteria, was denied service-connected disability retirement benefits on the grounds that the working conditions that caused her permanent incapacity didn’t constitute an occupational hazard under Hawaii law. The court held that the board clearly erred in finding and concluding that her incapacity didn’t result from job-related danger or risk. And the court determined that the definition of occupational hazard for ...