Congratulations to Melanie Wojcik on her Board Panel victory rescinding the wage loss awards to a claimant who failed to meet her burden of proof on causally related disability, despite presenting an extensive job search.
In this case, the claimant resigned from employment for reasons unrelated to the work injury and later sought wage replacement benefits after reentering the labor market. While the Board agreed the claimant had reattached, Melanie successfully focused the analysis where it mattered: the required nexus between her disability and her alleged loss of earnings.

Melanie argued that the claimant worked full duty after the accident and only resigned because she was unhappy with her job. Furthermore, the claimant presented only minimal, temporary disability. Critically, there was no evidence that any employer declined to hire her due to her condition or that her job search failures were disability‑related. As a result, the Board rescinded all wage loss awards and attorney fees, marking the period as no compensable lost time.

This decision shows that claimants must prove that wage loss flows from the disability itself rather than voluntary employment decisions or unrelated factors.

Kudos to Melanie in developing the record and winning this case!

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