Court Upholds Coverage for Worker's Past, Future Medication Expenses

The Utah Court of Appeals upheld an administrative decision concerning the compensability of a worker’s past and future expenses for medications. Elizabeth Hoffman injured her back in 1986 while working for Western Airlines. In the 30 years after the injury, Western merged with Delta Air Lines, and Hoffman underwent multiple surgeries. After the last surgery in 2002, she had to stop working due to debilitating chronic back pain and pain in her right leg. Her physicians prescribed opioid pain medication benzodiazepines to treat the anxiety that Hoffman developed after the in...