Opinion ID: 2167161
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Pelletier v. Maine Medical Center

Text: [¶ 7] Denyse Pelletier injured her right shoulder on December 7, 1992, while employed as a special care nurse at Maine Medical Center and concurrently employed at Mercy Hospital. She returned to light-duty employment at Maine Medical Center, earning less than her pre-injury wage. Maine Medical voluntarily paid partial benefits pursuant to 39 M.R.S.A. § 55-B, calculated at two-thirds the difference between her gross earnings before and after the injury. [4] In 1994 Pelletier reinjured her shoulder and Maine Medical Center unilaterally altered Pelletier's benefits pursuant to the current partial incapacity statute, 39-A M.R.S.A. § 213, to reflect the difference between her after tax earnings before and after the injury. [5] [¶ 8] In 1994 and 1995 Pelletier filed petitions for review and for restoration for the 1992 injury; Maine Medical Center filed petitions for review relating to both injuries. The parties agreed that because her earnings were lower at the time of the 1994 injury as a result of her first injury, her average weekly wage should be based on her earnings at the time of the earlier 1992 injury. Relying on your decision in McDonald, 609 A.2d at 1161, the Board concluded that because the 1992 and 1994 injuries contributed equally to her incapacity, Pelletier's entitlement to ongoing partial benefits is governed by the law at the time of her second injury, 39-A M.R.S.A. § 213. We granted Pelletier's petition for appellate review pursuant to 39-A M.R.S.A. § 322. [¶ 9] By its plain language, section 213 increases partial benefits from two-thirds the difference in pre- and post-injury wages to 80% of that difference. Unlike former section 55-B, section 213 is based on the after-tax wages, not on the gross wages. Section 213 also reduces the number of weeks that partial benefits are available in cases where the total body impairment is less than 15%. Section A-10 of the implementing Act provides, in pertinent part: So as not to alter benefits for injuries incurred before January 1, 1993, for matters in which the injury occurred prior to that date, all the provisions of this Act apply, except that . . . Title 39-A, sections 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 221, 306, and 325 do not apply. Maine Workers' Compensation Act of 1992, P.L. 1991, ch. 885, § A-10 (effective January 1, 1993) (emphasis added). We have held that because section 213 is expressly listed as prospective in application, it does not apply to pre-1993 injuries. Dumond v. Aroostook Van Lines, 670 A.2d 939, 941 n. 1 (Me.1996); Marchand v. Eastern Welding Co., 641 A.2d 190, 191, n. 1 (Me.1994). Accordingly, section 213 does not apply to Pelletier's 1992 injury. Pelletier contends that it was error for the Board to apply section 213 to compute her ongoing benefits, when 50% of her incapacity was attributable to the 1992 injury. She argues that all of her benefits are governed by former section 55-B. [¶ 10] We agree with the Board that this case is governed by McDonald, 609 A.2d 1160, and, notwithstanding the Board's incorrect reliance on the fact that the 1992 and 1994 injuries contributed equally to Pelletier's incapacity, we conclude that the result reached by the Board in this case is correct. We stated in McDonald that because McDonald's injuries did not combine to produce his resulting back condition until after the effective date of the repeal of the inflation waiting period, that waiting period applied to the determination of McDonald's entire award of benefits, even though his first injury preceded the effective date of the statute. Id. at 1161. In this case, like McDonald, Pelletier's injuries did not combine to produce her resulting shoulder incapacity until after the effective date of section 213. A major purpose for the enactment of section 213 was to reduce workers' compensation costs by reducing partial incapacity benefits in cases where the total body impairment is less than 15%. Report of Blue Ribbon Commission to Examine Alternatives to the Workers' Compensation System and to Make Recommendations Concerning Replacement of the Present System, Findings of the Majority of the Blue Ribbon Commission 2 (August 31, 1992). Moreover, the presumption that the Legislature acted with knowledge of our opinion in McDonald leads us to conclude once again that the Legislature intended section 213 to apply to successive injury cases when more than one injury contributes to an incapacitating condition. Accordingly, we affirm the Board's decision to apply section 213 to determine Pelletier's entire award of benefits, notwithstanding the fact that her first injury occurred prior to the effective date of title 39-A. The entry is: In Ray v. Carland Construction, Inc., WCB-95-746: Decision vacated. Remanded to the Board for further proceedings consistent with the decision herein. In Pelletier v. Maine Medical Center, WCB-96-9: Decision vacated with respect to the employee's petition for award for her 1994 injury. Remanded to the Board for an order granting the petition for award for the 1994 injury pursuant to the parties' stipulation.