Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2d/263/204.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 08:49:56+00:00

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Justia › US Law › Case Law › California Case Law › Cal. App. 2d › Volume 263 › Beaida v. Workmen's Comp. App. Bd.
Beaida v. Workmen's Comp. App. Bd.
JOSEPH BEAIDA, Petitioner, v. WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION APPEALS BOARD, PLACER COUNTY HOSPITAL et al., Respondents.
Eugene C. Treaster for Petitioner.
Everett Corten, Marcel Gunther, T. Groezinger, Loton Wells and G. K. Bogue for Respondents.
On September 26, 1966, within five years of the injury date, Dr. Cummings addressed a letter to WCAB calling attention to the patient's protracted symptoms and enclosing several medical reports. He expressed the opinion that the award did not fairly cover the extent of the claimant's disability and asked whether an adjustment in the disability rating was justified. fn. 1 WCAB replied (with a copy to the insurance carrier) stating that it had not heard from any of the parties or their attorneys and was forwarding the doctor's letter and enclosures to the claimant's attorney of record. Nothing happened. In February 1967 the claimant consulted his present counsel, who requested a hearing on the ground that Dr. Cummings' letter of September 26, 1966, constituted a timely petition to reopen the proceeding within the five-year period fixed by Labor Code section 5410. fn. 2 The request for hearing was accompanied by a formal substitution of attorneys. At the hearing the parties stipulated that claimant had asked Dr. Cummings to write the September 26 letter without realizing [263 Cal. App. 2d 207] that his original attorney remained of record in the proceeding. WCAB denied relief. A petition for review was then filed with this court.
In summary, WCAB takes the position that Dr. Cummings' September 26 letter was not entitled to recognition as a pleading or petition, since the claimant still had an attorney of record; that the attorney, not the doctor, was the claimant's spokesman in the WCAB proceedings. As we understand its brief, WCAB does not argue lack of power to dispense with a formal dismissal or substitution of the attorney; or that it was deprived by law of authority to recognize the doctor's letter as a request emanating from the claimant himself. While conceding that informality is encouraged in its proceedings, it argues that it could properly insist on compliance with its established procedural rules.
[1a] Thus the existence of jurisdiction to award supplementary relief either under section 5410 or section 5803 depends upon the status of Dr. Cummings' letter as an effective petition within the five-year period. The claimant's petition for review seeks recognition of Dr. Cummings' letter under section 5410 only. The response of WCAB and the oral argument in this court discussed section 5803 as well. Neither party has requested opportunity for additional briefing. Under the circumstances the court takes the position that sections 5803-5804 as well as section 5410 may be considered without unfairness to either side.
Evaluation of WCAB's position requires a brief summary of procedural provisions of the workmen's compensation law and of the rules of practice and procedure established by the board. fn. 4 In a workmen's compensation proceeding no pleadings other than the application and answer are required; these are to conform to the appeals board's rules of practice and procedure. (Lab. Code, § 5500.) The rules declare that all requests for action by the appeals board other than applications or answers shall be considered "petitions" (Rule 10450); that petitions invoking continuing jurisdiction under Labor Code section 5803 must set forth specifically the facts relied upon to establish good cause for reopening (Rule 10454); that, where a prior application has been filed, jurisdiction under Labor Code section 5410 is to be invoked by a petition specifically setting forth the facts relied upon to establish new and further disability (Rule 10458). The act (Lab. Code, § 5700) permits a party to be present at any hearing in person or by an attorney or other agent. The rules provide for an official address record for each attorney appearing in a case (Rule 10308); declare that substitution or dismissal of attorneys shall be made as provided in the Code of Civil Procedure (Rule 10312); require service of papers on the party's attorney when he has one (Rule 10510).
Labor Code section 3202 imposes on the courts and on WCAB an obligation of liberal construction in order to [263 Cal. App. 2d 209] extend protection to injured employees.  Limitation provisions, such as sections 5410 and 5803, must be liberally construed in favor of the employee unless the language compels a result detrimental to him. (Fruehauf Corp. v. Workmen's Comp. Appeals Board, 68 Cal. 2d 569, 577 [68 Cal. Rptr. 164, 440 P.2d 236]; Royal Indem. Co. v. Industrial Acc. Com., 85 Cal. App. 2d 373, 378 [192 P.2d 811].) [3a] In this case the interpretive question is whether the provisions for institution of proceedings in section 5410 and for a "petition by a party in interest" in section 5804 are broad enough to include the letter written on the claimant's behalf by Dr. Cummings. Indisputably the doctor wrote the letter at the request of the claimant, who did not realize that he should have acted through his attorney of record. The document was written and delivered to WCAB within five years of the injury date. In essence, it claimed pain and disability for which the compensation provided by the original award now turned out to be inadequate. Upon receiving the letter WCAB properly referred it to the claimant's attorney of record. Nevertheless, it remained as a tangible expression to the board of the claimant's need or desire for augmentation of the award. The claimant, through ignorance, did not go to his attorney of record but consulted other counsel. By the time the new attorney could act, the five- year period had passed. Then the claimant, through substituted counsel, sought recognition of the September 26 document as the initiation of a proceeding for supplementary relief. At that point WCAB concluded that it could not recognize the document without disregarding its own procedural rules for channelization of proceedings through parties' attorneys of record.
[3b] Thus WCAB's hands were not tied by its own procedural rules. There was no lack of power here. In failing to consider exercise of the dispensing power relative to its own procedural rules, the board acted unreasonably, indulging in a strict interpretation of the limitation statutes, an interpretation unfavorable to the injured employee and uncompelled by law.
The order is annulled and the cause remanded to the board for further proceedings.
"Much material has been provided you regarding the status of the above patient, some of it questioning the patient's protracted symptomatology. He has had numerous physical examinations and x-rays, about which consultants agree to varying degrees that the man can never return to his former occupation of hospital attendant and janitorial service operator. They also have questioned the patient's consistent complaint of pain, particularly in the low back, right hip and leg. The fact that neither physical examination nor x-ray measures pain well has not deterred this implication. My recommendation for electromyography, giving a more precise estimate of the malignerer's refuge 'pain' was denied.
"More recently, in an effort to re-evaluate the patient for rehabilitation, Mrs. Ruth Alexander, Medical Supervisor, Placer County Welfare Department, arranged for an unbiased orthopedic evaluation, including electromyography, at the University of California. Enclosed is a copy of this report and my letter to Placer County Welfare and the State Department of Rehabilitation regarding it. It is my opinion that the State Compensation Commission's determination on this man was self serving, and did not objectively and fairly cover the extent of his disability. Merely offering a settlement which did little more than pay the accrued medical bills, and leave him nearly unemployable in the hands of the local welfare agency, still disabled both physically and emotionally, does not seem to be justified. The man has been forced to sell his small house because of this disability.
"In view of the enclosed report, does not an adjustment of Mr. Beaida's disability rating and settlement seem indicated? What do you advise in rectifying this situation?"
FN 2. Labor Code section 5410 provides in part: "Nothing in this chapter shall bar the right of any injured employee to institute proceedings for the collection of compensation within five years after the date of the injury upon the ground that the original injury has caused new and further disability. The jurisdiction of the appeals board in such cases shall be a continuing jurisdiction at all times within such period. ..."
FN 3. Labor Code section 5803: "The appeals board has continuing jurisdiction over all its orders, decisions, and awards made and entered under the provisions of this division. At any time, upon notice and after an opportunity to be heard is given to the parties in interest, the appeals board may rescind, alter, or amend any such order, decision, or award, good cause appearing therefor.
"Such power includes the right to review, grant or regrant, diminish, increase or terminate, within the limits prescribed by this division, any compensation awarded, upon the grounds that the disability of the person in whose favor such award was made has either recurred, increased, diminished, or terminated."
Labor Code section 5804 (1963 addition indicated by italics): "No award of compensation shall be rescinded, altered, or amended after five years from the date of the injury except upon a petition by a party in interest filed within such five years and any counterpetition seeking other relief filed by the adverse party within 30 days of the original petition raising issues in addition to those raised by such original petition. Provided, however, that after an award has been made finding that there was employment and the time to petition for a rehearing or reconsideration or review has expired or such petition if made has been determined, the appeals board upon a petition to reopen shall not have the power to find that there was no employment."

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