Frances E. Lerma v. Employees Retirement System of Texas

Frances Lerma v. Employees Retirement System of Texas

Frances Lerma, a state employee, applied for occupational disability benefits after claiming that a work-related incident caused her psychological disability. She argued that something that happened at her job triggered or worsened mental health conditions that prevented her from working. The Employees Retirement System of Texas denied her application, so Lerma challenged this decision in court.

The court sided with the retirement system and upheld the denial of her disability benefits. The judges found that Lerma's psychological problems existed before the workplace incident occurred. They determined that her pre-existing mental health conditions, not the work incident itself, were the main reason for her disability. Under Texas law, to qualify for occupational disability benefits, the work-related incident must be the primary cause of the disability, not just a contributing factor.

What this means for workers: This ruling shows that getting occupational disability benefits can be challenging when you have pre-existing health conditions. Workers need strong medical evidence proving that a workplace incident was the main cause of their disability, not just something that made existing problems worse. Simply having a health condition worsen after a work incident may not be enough to qualify for these benefits.