Opinion ID: 1434400
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: apportionment of disability

Text: Prior to concluding that Claimant Nielson is totally and permanently disabled, the Commission found that claimant had a pre-existing permanent physical impairment of 20% of the whole man. The Commission failed to make a finding as to the permanent physical impairment which resulted from the April, 1980 accident. However, the Commission concluded that as a result of the April, 1980 accident, claimant sustained a permanent disability of 15% of the whole man for which the employer and its surety were liable. Consequently, the Commission concluded that ISIF is liable for the remaining 85% permanent disability. ISIF contends that these conclusions of the Commission are in error. According to I.C. § 72-332, when the combined effects of both a pre-existing impairment and a subsequent work-related injury cause a workman to suffer total and permanent disability, the employer and its surety are liable for compensation benefits to the extent of the disability caused by the work-related injury, and the remainder of the compensation benefits are paid to the workman out of the Industrial Special Indemnity Fund. [1] Essentially, the statute provides for an apportionment of nonmedical factors between the employer/surety and ISIF. We have thoroughly dealt with this issue in the recently released case of Carey v. Clearwater County Road Department, ___ Idaho ___, 686 P.2d 54 (1984). In that case we concluded that the appropriate solution to the problem of apportioning the non-medical disability factors, in an odd-lot case where the fund is involved, is to prorate the non-medical portion of disability between the employer and the fund, in proportion to their respective percentages of responsibility for the physical impairment. Id. at 63. In order to apply this rule, it is necessary for the Commission to make a determination of both the percentage of pre-existing permanent impairment, and the percentage of permanent impairment resulting from the work-related accident. In this case, the Commission found that claimant had a pre-existing permanent impairment of 20% of the whole man. However, the Commission failed to make a determination of the percentage of permanent impairment resulting from the April, 1980 accident. Thus, it is impossible to prorate the nonmedical factors in order to determine the extent of permanent disability resulting from the pre-existing condition for which ISIF is responsible. Therefore, we reverse the Commission's conclusions as to the extent of disability resulting from the pre-existing permanent impairment, and the April, 1980 accident. Furthermore, we remand for a determination of the percentage of permanent impairment resulting from the April, 1980 accident, and instruct the Commission to apportion the nonmedical disability factors between the employer/surety and ISIF in determining the ultimate percentage of disability for which each is liable in accordance with Carey, supra .