News Flash: Workers’ Comp Covers Employee’s Cosmetic Surgery

A California Court of Appeal has ruled that a mechanic whose face was disfigured in a workplace explosion can have cosmetic surgery covered by workers’ compensation. The mechanic suffered severe burns when a welding torch ignited a fireball inside the fiber glass tank he was dismantling. The state Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board had determined that the cosmetic surgery wasn’t covered because it would treat only the worker’s physical appearance, not the underlying condition. But the court said employers have a duty to provide all care reasonably required to relieve the effects of a permanent work-related injury.