Australia tallies $60 million in bizarre workers comp requests

An obese Australian Bureau of Statistics clerk claimed he had been bullied and harassed and suffered from “psychological injury,” plagued with breathlessness, fatigue and dizziness — and as a result needed someone to mow his lawn at home.

The Australian Federal Government workers compensation insurer Comcare recently revealed a host of bizarre workers compensation requests that they say have cost taxpayers almost $60 million in legal bills from successfully fighting demands from public servants who want money for services that were not related to work, the Canberra Times reported on Monday.

In one case, a woman requested $20,000 for a breast reduction claiming the size of her breasts gave her neck and shoulder pain. Her fight cost taxpayers more than $100,000, the newspaper reported. Another public servant tried to fight for compensation after she received injuries while having sex in a motel room during a work trip — her demand cost taxpayers more than $600,000 and the case was carried on for six years, according to the article. 

In another case, a worker claimed she had dietary requirements and needed to find a cafe with organic coffee and soy milk, taking longer than the allotted 15 minutes for her coffee break — and thus alleged she was treated poorly by her boss for her longer break, which she claimed triggered an “adjustment disorder,” the feeling of hopelessness and sadness caused by stressful event, the newspaper reported.