Severely burned Fort Worth firefighter to get workers' comp after outrage over denied care
A Fort Worth firefighter severely burned in the line of duty is speaking out after his family, the public and politicians said the workers' compensation system failed him, denying him of much needed care.
"I love my job. I love the city of Fort Worth," said Caleb Halvorson. "I grew up in Fort Worth. I wanted to help the citizens of Fort Worth when I grew up."
Family, officials say system failed burned firefighter
But for the last four months, Halvorson's family and many others say the City of Fort Worth has not helped its firefighter.
In September, while fighting a fire, a garage collapsed, trapping and badly injuring the 27-year-old.
He spent a month in the burn unit, away from a newborn son, and faced a half dozen surgeries, the latest last week.
"Everything I've applied to get surgery for has been denied at least once," Halvorson said.
Chosen doctors, specialized medicine and even equipment were denied.
"[The doctor] said I needed this, and it was denied," said Halvorson.
Halvorson went from fighting fires and injuries to a battle against workers' compensation for needed healthcare
It was a fight he kept quiet, but one his mom finally took to social media, posting last week that Halvorson had "been denied medical services" and the "system was failing" him.
"First, I was pissed off, like I think everyone else was," said Charlie Lauersdorf, a Fort Worth city council member.
City leaders demand faster care for first responders
Lauersdorf was among several Fort Worth council members and state representatives who saw the posts and were outraged.
"Then I thought it was a state-level issue with, you know, state laws on workers' comp," said Lauersdorf. "And then to find out that, no, there's actually more that the City of Fort Worth could have been doing."
Lauersdorf took the battle to the city.
"Always default and on the side of the first responder," he said. "Get them the care they need, that's at full stop. Approve it. Don't delay it. Don't deny it. Especially whenever you're some pencil pusher back behind a desk who's never had to run to the sound of chaos."
On Friday, in a letter to the mayor and council, City Manager Jay Chapa assigned a case manager to Halvorson to "minimize any further delays or unnecessary denials."
But that's not all. He added a position in the city to do the same for others to "mitigate the potential bureaucratic hurdles."
It was all welcomed and needed, but never Halvorson's intent nor dream.
"I didn't want the confrontation because, you know, I love my job, and I don't want that to be affected, or for people look bad, but it's time for us to stand up and get the help that we need," said Halvorson. "You know, in these situations where I literally can't walk, and I have an infant at home who needs to be taken care of."
CBS News Texas reached out to Sedgwick, the workers' compensation company, on which Fort Worth councilman Laursdorf "declared war" in a social media post.
In an email, a Sedgwick spokesperson referred CBS News Texas back to Fort Worth and would not answer questions about the denials or its policies. The division of workers' compensation in Texas did not respond to the I-Team's requests either.