The Short Answer
Yes — emotional distress from being robbed at work is covered under North Carolina's Workers' Compensation Act. Both mental and physical injuries sustained on the job are compensable, so a workplace robbery that causes psychological trauma like PTSD qualifies. To receive benefits, you'll need a formal diagnosis from a medical professional — you can't simply self-report the injury. The extent of your benefits depends on whether your psychological condition prevents you from performing your current job or any other reasonable employment you could be trained for.
Emotional distress caused by being robbed on the job is covered under the Workers Compensation Act in North Carolina. Under North Carolina law, mental as well as physical injuries sustained on the job are a compensable injury. The “injured worked” must provided evidence, usually medical evidence, he or she is unable to work due to the traumatic psychological injuries they sustained during the robbery. However, the psychological injury sustained may not be permanent disability.
For example, the person may be robbed at a fast food restaurant late one night. This traumatic event may not preclude her from working in the future in a factory during the daytime. The environment in each of the jobs is completely different. The job in the factory does not have her working late at night with the chances of being robbed on the job again. However, having the worker go back to a job late at night in another restaurant could cause the psychological issues to resurface precluding the worker from maintaining a job.
The workers’ compensation insurance company will send the worker suffering from the post-traumatic stress disorder to a medical professional or psychologist to diagnose the worker. To receive compensation, the worker must have a diagnosis. The worker cannot just claim they have psychological injuries; a professional must substantiate the injury.
One major focus in post-traumatic stress disorder situations is whether other reasonable employment exists. If the worker could be trained (vocational rehabilitation) for another job in which they would not be under the psychological stress then workers’ compensation will not continue to pay indemnity benefits going forward.
Key Takeaways
- North Carolina workers' compensation covers psychological injuries — including PTSD from a workplace robbery — not just physical ones.
- You must have a formal diagnosis from a licensed medical professional or psychologist to receive compensation for emotional distress.
- Your psychological disability may not be considered permanent — it depends on whether your trauma is tied to the specific work environment rather than all work generally.
- If vocational rehabilitation could train you for a different job where you wouldn't face the same psychological triggers, workers' comp indemnity benefits may stop.
- The workers' compensation insurer will typically send you to their own medical professional for evaluation, so having your own documentation and treatment history matters.
- Returning you to a substantially similar environment — like another late-night customer-facing role after a robbery — could be grounds to continue benefits if it would cause your symptoms to resurface.
