Opinion ID: 1242540
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Necessary Relationship Between Psychological Overlay and Physical Injury.

Text: ¶ 12 The Act requires any psychological or mental injury be accompanied by physical injury in order to receive disability benefits for a debilitating psychological condition: `injury' or `personal injury' shall not include mental injury that is unaccompanied by physical injury. 85 O.S.1992 Supp. § 3(7)(c). [1] ¶ 13 Fenwick v. Oklahoma State Penitentiary, 1990 OK 47, 792 P.2d 60 (Okla.1990) marks one of the Court's more recent efforts to comprehensively address the issue of compensable psychological overlay and its necessary relationship to work related physical injury. Fenwick predates the advent of the Legislature's 1992 revision of § 3(7)(c), however, the lack of physical injury in Fenwick makes it unlikely that § 3(7)(c) would have been a factor even had it applied in 1990. ¶ 14 Claimant-Fenwick was a psychological assistant at the state penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma. In August 1979, Fenwick was involved in a hostage situation at the prison where he negotiated the release of three hostages in exchange for himself. After being held for over four hours, Fenwick was released without any evidence of physical injury, in contrast to the instant case. ¶ 15 Fenwick returned to work shortly thereafter, but was eventually diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Id. at 61. According to the medical evidence and Fenwick's own testimony, Fenwick's psychological disorder was the result of the hostage ordeal. In sustaining the trial court's order denying workers' compensation benefits to Fenwick, the Court cited the long-standing rule that: `[a] disease of the mind or body which arises in the course of employment, with nothing more' is not an accidental injury and, thus, not compensable. Id. at 62 (quoting Keeling v. State Indus. Court, 1964 OK 25, 389 P.2d 487, 491, which quoted Shoren v. United States Rubber Co., 87 R.I. 319, 140 A.2d 768 (1958)). ¶ 16 Petitioners argue that Fenwick precludes a psychological overlay award in the instant case, because Claimant's psychological disorder is the result of the traumatic event of rape, as Fenwick's post-traumatic stress disorder was the result of the trauma of being held hostage. However, Claimant's injury at the hands of the rapist has the necessary element of physical injury accompanying psychological injury, which was lacking in Fenwick. ¶ 17 Petitioners also assert that Teel v. Tulsa Mun. Employees, 1993 OK 74, 859 P.2d 1079, 1080 controls the instant case. Importantly, Teel addresses an injury which occurred prior to the effective date of the 1992 statutory revision. Teel required that  the psychological injury must result from or arise out the physical employment-related injury in order to be compensable [.] Id. at 1080. The Court of Civil Appeals used Teel in deciding the instant cause, citing it for the proposition that simply the accompaniment of physical and psychological injury is insufficient to support a claim under the Act. ¶ 18 The Legislature's 1992 revision of the statute carves out those mental injuries  unaccompanied  by physical injury. The instant cause clearly entailed physical injury within the scope of the statute, which is accompanied by psychological injury, Claimant being unable to function outside her home as she had before the events of February 19, 1995. This accompaniment is all the statute requires. The Court of Civil Appeals attempt to place an additional requirement that Claimant's mental injury arise from her injury to the back, instead of resulting from the physical trauma of rape, is not persuasive as it obligates Claimant to establish more than the Legislature has required. As written, 85 O.S.1992 Supp. § 3(7)(c) does not prevent Claimant from supporting a mental injury claim upon the results of the accidental injury, the forcible rape; such rape also included the essential element of physical injury to accompany the mental infirmity. ¶ 19 Under the set of circumstances in the instant case, the statutorily required accompaniment of compensable physical injury, which includes Claimant's injury to the back, and psychological injury exists and resulted from accidental injury. Claimant's resulting psychological disability is within the parameters of the Workers' Compensation Act. ¶ 20 The record contains competent medical evidence and testimony of Claimant's psychological disability, as well as competent evidence regarding her back injury and the on-going skin rash. Where competent evidence supports the decision of the Workers' Compensation Court, we will not disturb the order here on appeal. Parks v. Norman Mun. Hosp., 1984 OK 53, 684 P.2d 548.