In this issue...
County of San Bernadino v
WCAB (Andrews) . 1
Vol. XI No.12
December 2005
COMPENSATION
NEWS
MONTHLY REPORT
Court of Appeal issues decision on what
is substantial medical evidence
This is an
unpublished decision
T
he applicant filed a
claim alleging a
cumulative trauma to
the back, lower extremities, neck
and diabetes. The applicant later
amended the claim to include a
claim for hypertension.
The case was eventually tried
before a Workers' Compensation
Judge (WCJ). The WCJ found
the applicant's hypertension non
industrial. The WCJ believed the
applicant's history of job stress
was not credible. The WCJ found
the orthopedic injuries and the
diabetes industrially related.
The judge found on a
physician report that indicated the
diabetes was stress related.
However, the WCJ did not find
that stress caused the diabetes,
but rather it was caused by an
injection of epinephrine for the
industrial back injury.
This case, even though it is
non published, cites cases that
our published. Substantial
evidence is considered in light of
the whole record. Levesque v.
WCAB. Medical reports cannot
be based on surmise, speculation
or conjecture. Hegglin v WCAB.
It is important to read this
case because they differentiate
between an aggravation of short
duration and one that has long-
term effects. They indicate that
the medical cause of an ailment is
a scientific question.. You must
have a medical opinion based
upon scientific knowledge.
In this case the judge made a
lay opinion. The court indicated
that where an issue is exclusively
a matter of scientific medical
knowledge you need expert
medical evidence form a
physician. Lay testimony or
opinion is not sufficient to meet
the test of substantial evidence.
There was no medical
evidence in this case to support
the finding that the diabetes was
industrial related. The case was
remanded to the trial level for
further development of the
record.
=================
Editor: Harvey Brown
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Phone: 949 252-1300
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