Court Upholds Denial of Authorization for Worker's Surgery

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a denial of authorization for a worker’s surgery and related treatment for conditions that were never accepted as compensable. Case: Caldwell v. Health Team Critical Care Transport LLC, No. 24-ICA-345, 03/24/2025, published. Facts: Ervin Caldwell worked for Health Team Critical Care Transport LLC. He injured his back at work in December 2019. A claims administrator for HTCCT’s insurance carrier accepted liability for a lumbar strain. Caldwell began seeing Dr. James Harman in January 2020. Harman theorized that Caldwell ...