How should injuries with an aggravation be handled?

• A. They should always be treated as one injury.
• B. They should be treated as separate injuries in separate files.
• C. They should be ignored for compensation.
• D. They should be adjudicated by the medical board.

Answer: (B)

An aggravation is treated as a separate injury because it represents a distinct incident that worsens a preexisting condition, creating a new injury event with its own onset, treatment needs, and compensation considerations. Handling it in its own file keeps the records clear, allowing separate medical costs and indemnity calculations and preventing the timelines and liability from getting tangled with the original injury. This separation supports proper documentation of each injury’s course and avoids confusion when determining eligibility and any apportionment.

Treating it as one injury would blur two different events and muddle causation and compensation. Ignoring it would deny the worker rightful benefits. Having the medical board adjudicate is not the standard approach for this administrative situation and would add unnecessary delay.