Bradford E. Larimore v. Employees Retirement System of Texas

**What Happened** Bradford Larimore worked for the Employees Retirement System of Texas and suffered a work-related injury. After his employment ended, he applied for special disability retirement benefits, claiming his workplace injury was the main reason he became disabled and couldn't work. The retirement system's board rejected his application, so Larimore took his case to court, arguing he was wrongfully terminated and deserved the disability benefits. **What the Court Decided** The court sided with the retirement system and upheld the board's decision to deny Larimore's disability benefits. The court found that Larimore couldn't prove his work-related injury was the primary cause of his disability. Without this proof, he wasn't eligible for the occupational disability retirement benefits he was seeking. **Why This Matters for Workers** This case shows how challenging it can be to win disability benefits through employer retirement systems. Workers who suffer injuries on the job must be able to clearly prove that their workplace injury is the main cause of their disability - not just a contributing factor. It's important to document workplace injuries thoroughly and keep detailed medical records that show the direct connection between the job-related incident and any resulting disability.