Title: Rozales v. Peerless Welder, Inc.
Citation: 246 N.W.2d 851
Docket Number: 46610
State: Minnesota
Issuer: Minnesota Supreme Court
Date: October 29, 1976

246 N.W.2d 851 (1976) Ramon ROZALES, Deceased, Respondent, v. PEERLESS WELDER, INC., et al., Relators. No. 46610. Supreme Court of Minnesota. October 29, 1976. Jardine, Logan &amp; O'Brien and Graham N. Heikes, St. Paul, for relators. Chadwick, Johnson &amp; Bridell, and John R. Bridell, Minneapolis, for respondent. Heard before TODD, MacLAUGHLIN, and YETKA, JJ., and considered and decided by the court en banc. TODD, Justice. Ramon Rozales (employee) incurred an industrial injury while working at Peerless Welder, Inc. (Peerless). The employee's permanent partial disability was determined, but before any payment therefor was made he died of unrelated causes. The compensation judge and the Workers' Compensation Board held such payment could be recovered by his heirs. We reverse. The facts were stipulated by the parties and provide: The compensation judge and commission allowed recovery by the heirs, stating that our decision in Umbreit v. Quality Tool, Inc., 302 Minn. 376, 225 N.W.2d 10 (1975), was altered by the 1974 amendment to Minn.St. 176.021, subd. 3, which would now permit such payment to the heirs. We disagree. This court discussed the applicable rule of law in Umbreit v. Quality Tool, Inc., 302 Minn. 376, 380, 225 N.W.2d 10, 13, which involved an identical factual situation: Included within the Umbreit decision was the following footnote (302 Minn. 379, note 4, 225 N.W.2d 12): *853 This case presents the issue of whether the 1974 amendment to Minn.St. 176.021, subd. 3, would alter the result in Umbreit to allow payment to an employee's heirs of a determined but unpaid permanent partial disability benefit when the employee dies of unrelated causes. L.1974, c. 486, § 1, amending § 176.021, subd. 3, provides: Examination of the statute clearly indicates that the 1974 amendment was a legislative response to our decision in Pramschiefer v. Windom Hospital, 297 Minn. 212, 211 N.W.2d 365 (1973), where we held that an employee receiving temporary total disability benefits should not be entitled to receive concurrently a lump-sum payment of permanent partial disability benefits. We find no legislative intent to address the problem raised in Umbreit v. Quality Tool, Inc. supra, and this case. The workers' compensation law is a substituted remedy created by the legislature and absent a reasonably clear indication of legislative action modifying rights created by the act, this court must proceed cautiously in attempting to infer legislative intent. The problem presented by the facts of this case should be addressed to the legislature. Reversed.