Worker's Compensation Claim of Blommel v. State ex rel. Wyoming Department of Employment, Division of Workers' Safety & Compensation

**Worker Wins Compensation Case After Injury Report Dispute** This case involved Ms. Blommel, who worked for Wyoming Sawmills, Inc. and suffered an injury she claimed was work-related. When she filed for workers' compensation benefits, a hearing examiner denied her claim. The examiner ruled that either her injury report was filed too late or she didn't provide enough proof that her injury actually happened at work and qualified for compensation. Ms. Blommel appealed this decision to the Wyoming Supreme Court. The court carefully reviewed her case and came to a different conclusion. The justices found that Ms. Blommel had indeed filed her injury report on time, meeting the required deadlines. More importantly, they determined she had presented sufficient evidence to prove her injury was work-related and should be covered under workers' compensation. The Wyoming Supreme Court reversed the hearing examiner's denial and ruled in Ms. Blommel's favor. **What this means for workers:** This case shows that workers can successfully challenge denials of their workers' compensation claims. Even if an initial examiner rejects your claim for reasons like late filing or insufficient evidence, you may still have grounds to appeal. Courts will independently review whether you met filing deadlines and provided adequate proof of your work-related injury.