Appeal of Levesque

The petitioner, Louis Levesque, appeals from the decision of the New Hampshire Department of Labor Compensation Appeals Board (CAB) denying him compensation under the Workers’ Compensation Law for medical treatment related to a back injury he sustained in the course of his employment with Surewood Excavators. The CAB ruled that the employer’s insurance carrier was not obliged to pay for the petitioner’s treatment because the medical treatment was “palliative in nature and not curative.” Because the curative/palliative distinction is not the correct standard for determining coverage of medical…