Teacher denied injury benefits
- A Vancouver teacher says she was denied benefits after an on‑the‑job injury that left lasting symptoms. - Reported symptoms include headaches, nausea, and reliance on red‑tinted glasses and a microphone to continue teaching. - The case highlights how staff wellbeing includes credible institutional response when employees are physically harmed on the job (columbian.com).
A Vancouver, Wash., teacher says a classroom head injury left her with lasting symptoms — and Washington’s workers’ compensation system cut off her benefits. (columbian.com) Erica Godell, 53, teaches second grade at Hazel Dell Elementary School and says a student accidentally knocked heads with her nearly three years ago. She now uses red-tinted glasses and a microphone in class, and she told The Columbian she cannot drive at night. (columbian.com) Godell told the paper she still has headaches and nausea, and 13 providers diagnosed her with post-concussion syndrome, according to medical records she shared with The Columbian. The newspaper reported that she is now carrying thousands of dollars in doctor bills. (columbian.com) In Washington, the Department of Labor & Industries runs the state workers’ compensation system and handles claims over job-related injuries. The agency says workers, employers and doctors can protest a claim decision, or appeal directly to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. (lni.wa.gov, lni.wa.gov) That process runs on deadlines: Labor & Industries says a written protest must arrive within 60 calendar days of receiving most decisions, and an appeal can go to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. If no protest arrives on time, the agency says the decision becomes final. (lni.wa.gov, biia.wa.gov) Godell told The Columbian she felt her employer was “working against” her during that process. The paper reported that Labor & Industries later reversed earlier decisions that had granted her benefits. (columbian.com) The case lands as Vancouver Public Schools is already under strain from layoffs and budget pressure, with The Columbian listing school layoffs among the district’s top local stories this week. Godell’s claim adds a separate dispute over what support a classroom employee receives after being hurt at work. (columbian.com, columbian.com) For now, Godell is still in the classroom, teaching with specialized glasses and a microphone while fighting over benefits tied to an injury she says changed daily life at work and at home. (columbian.com)
