A catastrophic illness, condition, or injury is defined as a life-threatening, acute, and non-work related medical condition that is diagnosed by a licensed medical physician as precluding the employee from working in any manner or in the case of an immediate family member, an acute or prolonged illness, condition or injury that is considered life-threatening and renders the family member so significantly disabled or in need of such care that it prohibits the employee from working. Catastrophic conditions are additionally elaborated upon as follows:
- Life-threatening debilitating illnesses, impairments, or physical conditions that involve treatment in connection with a stay in a hospital, hospice, or other medical or residential facility.
- The Midlothian ISD reserves and retains the right to determine whether the illness or condition meets the foregoing definitions and criteria based on the information it receives from the applicant and his or her medical providers.
- The life-threatening aspect of the medical condition must be validated as a real and substantial risk that is relative to the reasonably foreseeable future. Prolonged conditions that could contribute to death at the end of a normal life expectancy are not considered life-threatening for the purposes of this program. The risk of death is almost always present when surgical procedures are performed. That common risk alone is not sufficient to meet the life-threatening criteria.
- Conditions that are determined to be short term or normal/natural experiences are not catastrophic. Such conditions include but are not limited to flu, childhood/adult diseases (measles, mumps, chicken pox, etc.), non-debilitating bone fractures, routine pregnancies/births, etc.
- Terminal illness.
- Treatments are necessary for a medical condition that is so life-threatening that, if not treated, would likely result in death.