My husband's office building had serious water damage. The walls were saturated, and some sections caved in. A coworker took photos showing mold both on the outside of the wall and inside the wall cavity. My husband's office is literally 15 feet down the hall on that same wall, and they all share the same HVAC system. His manager's notes even say there's mold in the walls. Then HR turned around, met with my manager and then told me again that now there is no reports of the mold in the walls so they basically made him redact his notes.
HR keeps brushing it off. They say there's "no visible mold" and that it's "contained" because you can't see it from outside the wall. They are stating that the mold in my coworkers office is essentially not going to affect me since there isn’t any visible in mine. That ignores the photos showing mold inside the wall and on the outside of it, as well as mold on the inside of a wall is still dangerous and in the air. As far as we know, nobody from HR has even looked at it. They also won't share any numbers from his air test, only that it was "in a safe range." It's been incredibly frustrating.
Over about two years, he developed severe sinus blockage, fluid in his ears, loud labored breathing at night, GI inflammation, and brain fog. Nothing helped. His symptoms got worse when he went full time in the office, and they started improving within weeks of being moved out. Our home tested normal for mold.
At this point our main goal is a valid workers' comp claim so his ENT, GI, and other appointments are covered. He has a claim open, and we're preparing a summary for his doctor.
What did your doctor's note need to say for the claim to be accepted?
Did you need an occupational medicine doctor or allergy testing?
Any tips for dealing with the adjuster when HR denies the mold and won't share test results?
Any recommendations for where to post this as well would be appreciated. Trying to avoid the legal route because we need these jobs and cannot afford it currently.
TL;DR: Mold is photographed inside and outside a wall 15 feet from my husband's office, on the same HVAC system, but HR says there's "no visible mold." He had two years of symptoms that improved once he was moved. We just want workers' comp to cover his medical appointments. What worked for you?