Opinion ID: 1241321
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Whether Substantial Evidence Supports the Commissioner's Finding of Impairment.

Text: The employer and its insurance carrier claim the commissioner should have rendered an award to Breyfogle consistent with Dr. Herrera's rating rather than the ratings of doctors Tiedeman and O'Neil. As the trier of the facts, it is the commissioner's duty to determine the credibility of the witnesses, weigh the evidence, and decide the facts in issue. Arndt v. City of Le Claire, 728 N.W.2d 389, 395 (Iowa 2007). Doctors Tiedeman and O'Neil rated Breyfogle's injury as a nineteen percent impairment, a rating well within the range of impairment contained in the Guides. Although the commissioner could have chosen to adopt Dr. Herrera's opinion, the commissioner decided the ratings by doctors Tiedeman and O'Neil were entitled to the greater weight of the evidence. Therefore, substantial evidence supported the commissioner's decision.