Opinion ID: 2625740
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Did the Commission Fail to Consider Pain when Determining Claimant's Impairment?

Text: The Commission found that Claimant's impairment arising from the 1999 industrial accident was 19% of the whole person. Claimant acknowledges that a determination of physical impairment is a question of fact for the Commission. He contends that the Commission committed a legal error by failing to consider his pain when determining impairment. In Urry v. Walker and Fox Masonry Contractors, 115 Idaho 750, 754, 769 P.2d 1122, 1126 (1989), we held that pain is a factor that must be taken into account when determining impairment. In the present case, the Commission did take into account Claimant's pain complaints. It simply did not believe that the pain was as severe as Claimant contended. Throughout its findings, the Commission noted Claimant's complaints of ongoing pain. It also noted, however, the statements by three of the physicians who conducted IME's of Claimant that the medical records documented symptom magnification by Claimant; that his pain complaints were not supported by objective medical findings; and that there were inconsistencies between his statements and the medical records. Claimant challenges the opinion of one of the three physicians relied upon by the Commission. That physician is the neurosurgeon in Washington who performed the 1990 discectomy on Claimant. He quotes a portion of the neurosurgeon's deposition testimony in which the neurosurgeon stated that he did not utilize pain as a component of his impairment assessment. The neurosurgeon was later asked whether he would give Claimant a higher impairment rating if he took into consideration Claimant's pain, and the neurosurgeon said he would not because he determined that Claimant's symptom embellishment was not related to his injury of record and in his opinion Claimant's pain is so in excess of what one would expect that it would not be a proper assessment to use. The neurosurgeon did not fail to consider Claimant's pain; he simply did not believe that Claimant's pain related to the 1999 industrial accident was as severe as Claimant contended. The neurosurgeon also testified that he did not agree with Claimant's attending physician on the issue of Claimant's pain complaints. Claimant argues that the testimony of his attending physician should have been given more or greater weight than the testimony of the physicians who conducted the IME's. The Commission is not bound to accept the opinion of the treating physician over that of a physician who merely examined the claimant for the pending litigation. Lorca-Merono v. Yokes Washington Foods, Inc., 137 Idaho 446, 451, 50 P.3d 461, 466 (2002). Credibility of witnesses and evidence is a matter within the province of the Commission. Stevens-McAtee v. Potlatch Corp., 145 Idaho 325, 329, 179 P.3d 288, 292 (2008). Claimant has failed to show that the Commission erred in failing to consider pain when determining his impairment rating. Vargas v. Keegan, 134 Idaho 125, 128, 997 P.2d 586, 589 (2000) (where referee did not refer to claimant's pain or the diagnosis of chronic pain syndrome in the permanent impairment or permanent disability assessments but did acknowledge claimant's pain, pain prescriptions, and chronic pain syndrome diagnosis in the findings of fact which the Commission adopted, it was sufficient to show that the Commission considered pain when assessing impairment); Pomerinke v. Excel Trucking Transport, Inc., 124 Idaho 301, 305, 859 P.2d 337, 341 (1993) (where panel report did not state that pain was a component of the impairment rating, but the report was replete with references to the claimant's pain, it was sufficient to support a finding that pain was a component of the impairment rating). The Commission's impairment rating is supported by substantial and competent evidence.