Opinion ID: 1251580
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: OP Claims Procedure

Text: The majority opinion correctly notes that when an OP claim is made, the Workers' Compensation Division (Division) must submit the claim to the Occupational Pneumoconiosis Board (OP Board). The OP Board is then charged with making a determination regarding the claim. The OP Board submits its findings and conclusions to the Division. The Division is thereafter required to make its determination of the claim based upon the OP Board's report. See W. Va.Code § 23-4-6(h) (Supp.2000) (For the purposes of [Chapter 23 of the West Virginia Code] a finding of the occupational pneumoconiosis board shall have the force and effect of an award.). If any party objects to the OP Board's decision, as embodied in the Division's subsequent order, W. Va.Code § 23-4-8c(d) (1998) [1] mandates that a hearing be held before the Office of Judges for the purpose of questioning the OP Board members. The Office of Judges is required, under § 23-4-8c(d), to schedule a hearing, and the members of the OP Board who join in the conclusions of the Board shall appear at such hearing. While § 23-4-8c(d) does not expressly obligate a protesting party to question the OP Board, the statute does state that the evidence for and against the findings of the Board shall be limited to examination and cross-examination of the members of the Board and the testimony of other qualified physicians. It has always been the common practice for the protesting party to question members of the OP Board. Quite simply, it is the only way in which the mandatory requirement that a hearing be held can be fulfilled, and it is the only sure way that a protesting party can demonstrate that the OP Board's findings are wrong. Our system recognizes that cross-examination is the surest path to the truth. In this case, the employee protested the OP Board's findings and the mandatory hearing was scheduled. The OP Board was present but its members were not questioned and the case was submitted without the benefit of the OP Board's comments on the claimant's new medical evidence. Thus, the claimant/protestant attempted to defeat the mandatory requirement of W. Va.Code § 23-4-8c(d) that a hearing be held and that the evidence be concentrated around the opinions of the members of the Board whose decision is under protest. Because such a hearing is mandatory, the majority could have required the Division, or the non-protesting party, to advance the hearing by questioning the OP Board. Instead, the majority opinion took the practical approach and adopted a procedure that employees and employers have heretofore utilized, i.e., requiring the protesting party, be it the employee or the employer, to question the Board. In other words, pursuant to the statutory process, the majority opinion simply requires that the party who protests an OP Board's decision to the Office of Judges sees to it that the hearing goes forward. Materially, this ruling changed nothing in Workers' Compensation law. It added no burden to any party to the proceeding. The dissent's assertion otherwise is wrong.