Although not overwhelmingly adopted, this uniform law became the blueprint for state workers' compensation statutes. All but eight states had adopted a workers' compensation law by 1920, and in 1963 Hawaii became the last state to do so. Accident and Injury Workers' compensation benefits are most commonly provided to workers who are injured by a specific accident on the job, such as the worker who trips and falls down the employer's staircase, or the worker who gets a hand caught in factory machinery. But a compensable accidental injury might also include an occupational disease, such as an employee's lung disease that resulted from his exposure to asbestos in the workplace. Cumulative trauma associated with work duties, such as carpal tunnel syndrome caused by repetitive keyboard work, also can be compensable.
Jurisdictions differ as to whether work-related mental illness is compensable.
In the majority of states, mental illness caused by work, such as stress, anxiety, or depression, is not compensable. A common exception to this rule exists when a specific accident or injury at work leads to mental illness. For example, an employee who suffers from panic attacks upon hearing the phone ring at work generally will not be entitled to workers' compensation benefits. But an employee who witnesses a vicious assault and battery at work, and who then develops anxiety and panic attacks as a result, would be entitled to compensation in most jurisdictions. Articles from West's Encyclopedia of American Law are published on West Legal Directory with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional advice.