Opinion ID: 1368115
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The decision of the Workmen's Compensation Appeals Board

Text: Although the board granted reconsideration to review Dr. Black's report, it nevertheless did not accept the doctor's conclusions, and on January 13, 1970, issued its opinion affirming the findings of the referee. In its opinion the board noted that Dr. Black had incorrectly assumed that petitioner had sought medical care shortly after his fall and had received physical therapy during the period before petitioner left his employment on August 18, 1967; in fact, petitioner first saw a physician on August 21 of that year. The board thereupon rejected Dr. Black's opinion as based on an incorrect medical history. The board stated that we accept the hypothesis of the agreed medical examiner, Dr. Charles G. Freed, that `if the ruptured thoracic disc for which the patient underwent surgery was caused or aggravated by the injury of June 26, 1967, the patient would have sought medical attention before August 18, 1967.' From this evidence and all the evidence of record, we are persuaded that Applicant's condition and need for medical treatment relates to his underlying disease and was neither caused nor aggravated by his injury of June 26, 1967. [3]