Workers Comp Mental Health Benefits Extended by Michigan Court

A divided Michigan Supreme Court expanded access to health benefits Friday for on-the-job injuries that contribute to a worker’s mental health illness in a decision reversing precedent.

The divided ruling reversed two decades of a prior test that drastically limited access to workers compensation payments by requiring a workplace injury be a “significant factor” to a worker’s mental health struggles—a difficult thing to prove.

The court instead adopted an expanded test in which lower courts must closely analyze whether on-the-job accidents and injuries contribute to workers’ existing mental health diagnoses. The more forgiving scheme will likely lead to more ...