Opinion ID: 2307576
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Achilles Tendinitis.

Text: Olson challenges the agency's conclusion that the Achilles tendinitis she suffered between September 16, 1996 and December 19, 1996, was not causally related to her work injury. Petitioner asserts that this conclusion is based on an incorrect reading of the facts and is not supported by substantial evidence in the record. In denying Olson's claim for benefits, the agency relied on the fact that she suffered Achilles tendinitis prior to her 1993 work injury. [18] After determining that neither the physical therapist nor Dr. Spiegel were aware of Olson's pre-1993 history of tendinitis, the agency discredited Dr. Spiegel's opinion that Olson's Achilles tendinitis was related to the 1993 work injury. The hearing examiner reached the conclusion that Dr. Spiegel was not aware of Olson's pre-1993 Achilles tendinitis from the fact that it was not mentioned in the August 30, 1995 physical therapy report, signed by the physical therapist and written on Dr. Spiegel's letterhead, which stated that prior to 1993, Olson had no lumbar spine or leg problems, apart from a right knee injury at work which resulted in arthroscopic surgery. While the agency discredited Olson's testimony that she had obtained treatment for her left leg and foot prior to 1993, but had suffered no prior injuries, it credited Dr. Ammerman's opinion that Olson's Achilles tendinitis was not related to the work injury. Olson recognizes that the [c]redibility determinations of a hearing examiner are accorded special deference by this court, Teal v. District of Columbia Dep't of Employment Servs., 580 A.2d 647, 651 n. 7 (D.C.1990), but claims that the agency's factual findingthat Dr. Spiegel did not have her complete medical historyis not supported by substantial evidence. In particular, Olson takes issue with the hearing examiner's reliance on the August 30, 1995 physical therapy report, arguing that it does not show that Dr. Spiegel was unaware of her pre-1993 tendinitis. While it is true that the physical therapist, not Dr. Spiegel, signed the physical therapy report, the report is written on Dr. Spiegel's letterhead, lists Dr. Spiegel as the physician and is contained in Dr. Spiegel's records. Absent evidence to the contrary, it was reasonable for the examiner to infer, based on the physical therapy report and Dr. Spiegel's initial evaluation, which also makes no mention of Olson's past problems with Achilles tendinitis, [19] that Dr. Spiegel did not have a complete medical history when he attributed the tendinitis to Olson's 1993 work injury. See George Hyman Constr. Co. v. District of Columbia Dep't of Employment Servs., 498 A.2d 563, 566 (D.C. 1985) (noting that the hearing examiner is entitled to draw reasonable inferences from the record). Moreover, Olson admitted at the hearing that she had not provided her complete medical history to either the physical therapist or Dr. Spiegel. Therefore, the hearing examiner's factual finding that Dr. Spiegel was unaware of Olson's pre-1993 Achilles tendinitis is supported by substantial evidence in the record as a whole. See Charles P. Young Co., supra, 681 A.2d at 456. Given Dr. Rosenberg's medical records, indicating Olson's history of tendinitis, and Dr. Ammerman's fully informed-opinion that petitioner's Achilles tendinitis was not related to the 1993 work injury, [20] the trial court did not err in concluding that Georgetown proffered sufficient evidence to sever the potential connection between [Olson's] Achilles tendinitis and her 1993 work injury. [21] See Whittaker v. District of Columbia Dep't of Employment Servs., 668 A.2d 844, 845 (D.C.1995) (explaining that statutory presumption of compensability can be rebutted where employer offers evidence `specific and comprehensive enough to sever the potential connection between a particular injury and a job-related event') (quoting Parodi v. District of Columbia Dep't of Employment Servs., 560 A.2d 524, 526 (D.C.1989)) (citations omitted.) Accordingly, we affirm the agency's decision to deny Olson's claim for temporary total disability benefits for the period of September 16, 1996 through December 19, 1996, when Olson was unable to work due to Achilles tendinitis.