Opinion ID: 2625091
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: standard of review

Text: [¶ 4] An administrative agency's decision certified directly to this court is reviewed under the same appellate standards applicable to the reviewing court of the first instance. Wesaw v. Quality Maintenance, 2001 WY 17, ¶ 8, 19 P.3d 500, at ¶ 8 (Wyo.2001). Our judicial review is limited to those considerations specified in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 16-3-114(c) (LEXIS 1999) which provides in pertinent part: (c) To the extent necessary to make a decision and when presented, the reviewing court shall decide all relevant questions of law, interpret constitutional and statutory provisions, and determine the meaning or applicability of the terms of an agency action. In making the following determinations, the court shall review the whole record or those parts of it cited by a party and due account shall be taken of the rule of prejudicial error. The reviewing court shall: ... (ii) Hold unlawful and set aside agency action, findings and conclusions found to be: (A) Arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law; ... (E) Unsupported by substantial evidence in a case reviewed on the record of an agency hearing provided by statute. The interpretation and correct application of the provisions of the Wyoming Worker's Compensation Act are a question of law over which our review authority is plenary. Wesaw, ¶ 8. Conclusions of law made by an administrative agency are affirmed only if they are in accord with the law. Corman v. State ex rel. Wyoming Workers' Compensation Division, 909 P.2d 966, 970 (Wyo.1996). We do not afford any deference to the agency's determination, and we will correct any error made by the agency in either interpreting or applying the law. DeLauter v. State ex rel. Wyoming Workers' Compensation Division, 994 P.2d 934, 936 (Wyo.2000).