The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) granted Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP) benefits to a retired midwife due to her varicose veins.

The said midwife had been a worker of Philex Mining Corporation in Tuba, Benguet since October 20, 1984 and performed responsibilities as medical attendant and midwife at the company’s Medical Department.

On September 7, 2016, she sought medical consultation due to recurrent cramps of the lower extremities, multiple joint pain and palpitation. She was diagnosed to be suffering from varicosities of the legs, low-back pain, heart illness and gastritis.

After a year, the midwife filed an EC claim for disability benefits at the SSS Baguio City Branch due to varicosities in both legs and low-back pain syndrome. She underwent physical examination in which she was found to be “ambulatory, conscious, coherent, ambulatory without assistance, varicosities at both lower extremities, no limitation of movement at the lumbar area, no motor and sensory deficit noted on all extremities.”

The SSS denied the claim on the ground of no causal relationship to the nature of her work and her physical examinations showed that there was no impairment in bodily functions, and the joint pains were only degenerative in nature.

On appeal, the ECC modified the decision and ordered the SSS to grant EC disability benefits plus reimbursement of medical expenses that the midwife incurred in her medical consultations due to varicose veins as the Commission recognized that her working conditions as a medical personnel which entailed sitting and standing  for a long period of time particularly in rendering assistance during child delivery made her susceptible to leg fatigue, discomfort, and heaviness that could trigger the manifestation of varicose veins.

Meanwhile, her claim for low-back pain syndrome was denied on the ground of no causal relationship.

The Employees’ Compensation Commission is mandated to provide appropriate compensation to workers and their dependents in the event of work-related contingencies such as sickness, injury, disability or death. EC claims for sickness or injury resulting in disability or death are filed at the SSS for the private sector and the GSIS for public sector.