Opinion ID: 2266397
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Department of Employment Services Case Law

Text: The Hearings and Adjudication Section of DOES first dealt with this issue in 1988, when a hearing examiner concluded that individuals with temporary disabilities could receive supplemental allowances. Butler v. Pitston Brinks, [2] OWC No. 0062058, H & AS No. 88-284 (June 24, 1988). The hearing examiner did not explain her reasoning, and distinguished the one decision relied on by the claimant. Id. at 3. Following Butler, DOES hearing examiners deferred to this decision in order to ensure the orderly administration of the workers' compensation system. See Smith v. Security Storage, OWC No. 0176751, H & AS No. 91-405, 2-3 (December 19, 1991) (citing cases following Butler ). However, the Director of DOES never decided one of these cases on appeal, so there was not a definitive agency decision on the issue. In Smith v. Security Storage, the hearing examiner questioned the reasoning in Butler and decided that it should not be followed. Id. at 5. This examiner performed his own analysis of the issue, and concluded that [b]ased upon the record evidence, a reading of the pertinent case law, and investigation of the legislative history ... claimant is not entitled to a [§ 36-306(a)] supplemental allowance predicated upon the receipt of temporary total disability benefits. Id. at 14. The Smith decision was appealed to the Director, who affirmed the hearing examiner. Smith v. Security Storage, Dir. Dkt. No. 92-5 (January 22, 1993). This precedent was relied on in the instant case, where the Director again held that individuals with temporary disabilities could not receive supplemental allowances. Hively v. C & P Telephone Co., Dir. Dkt. No. 92-8 (October 11, 1994).