By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Fort Worth, Texas, workers’ compensation provider reversed a denial and agreed to cover critical care for a severely injured firefighter after public and political backlash.
• The firefighter, Caleb Halvorson, was badly burned when a roof collapsed during a September 2025 house fire.
• The insurer initially denied coverage for therapies and devices needed for his recovery.
• City officials and state lawmakers criticized the denial and pressured the provider to approve the treatment.
• The incident highlights ongoing challenges with workers’ compensation approvals for injured first responders.
(FORT WORTH, TX —) A workers’ compensation provider used by the City of Fort Worth will cover critical treatments for a firefighter severely injured in the line of duty after reversing earlier denials in the face of public and political pressure.
Firefighter Caleb Halvorson suffered second- and third-degree burns and other injuries in September 2025 when the roof of a house collapsed on him during a fire response, according to statements shared by the firefighter and local officials.
Halvorson’s treatments, including specialized surgeries and a medical device to aid knee recovery, were initially denied by the city’s workers’ comp provider. The denials drew widespread criticism from community members, city council officials and state legislators.
Fort Worth City Council member Charles Lauersdorf publicly condemned the insurer’s actions, and state representatives said they would monitor compliance to ensure Halvorson receives continued care, officials said.
In response to the backlash, the provider reversed its position and agreed to fund the previously denied care, officials and Halvorson said. The case underscores ongoing scrutiny of how workers’ compensation systems handle complex, costly injury claims for first responders.