Supreme Court Overturns Denial of Benefits for Worker With Preexisting Back Issues

The West Virginia Supreme Court overturned a denial of benefits to a worker with preexisting back issues for her injury claim. Case: Harrison v. Hockin, No. 22-0133, 10/19/2023, published. Facts: Deborah Harrison worked for Greg Hockin. She injured her back lifting heavy boxes at work in June 2020. Dr. John Potter prepared a report on June 19, 2020, stating that Harrison had injured her back at work on June 11. He opined that Harrison sustained an occupational injury in the form of a lumbar spine strain with sciatica. The report did not include a diagnosis code. Potter later prepared a se...