Opinion ID: 2524544
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Timeliness Finding

Text: [¶ 12] Rice contends that his March, 1999, injury report preceded July 5, 1999, the date of Dr. Painter's correct diagnosis, and cannot be found untimely. Alternatively, he contends that if the date of injury is determined to be February 23, 1999, he proved that the employer did not suffer any prejudice by a late filing. [¶ 13] Our law on determining the date of a compensable injury is well-established. Wesaw v. State of Wyo. ex. rel. Wyo. Workers' Compensation Div., 2001 WY 17, ¶ 10, 19 P.3d 500 (Wyo.2001). The notice and claim requirements of the workers' compensation statutes do not begin to run until the employee becomes aware that an accident has caused an injury; and the term injury as used in the compensation statutes means compensable injury. Baldwin v. Scullion, 50 Wyo. 508, 530-31, 62 P.2d 531, 539 (Wyo. 1936). Under previous versions of the filing statutes and statute of limitations, we have consistently applied the concept of a compensable injury to determine timeliness of notice and claims. Big Horn Coal Co. v. Wartensleben, 502 P.2d 187, 188 (Wyo.1972) (interpreting the previous version of Wyo. Stat.Ann. § 27-14-502); Aanenson v. State ex rel. Wyo. Workers' Compensation Div., 842 P.2d 1077, 1082-83 (Wyo.1992) (applying compensable injury concept to statute of limitations, Wyo.Stat.Ann. § 27-12-503). The burden to show the actual time of the compensable injury, its cause, and its relation to his employment at the time of injury is placed on the employee. Bemis v. Texaco, Inc., 401 P.2d 708, 709 (Wyo.1965). [¶ 14] [W]hen determining the time a particular injury became compensable, it should be asked: When would a reasonable person, under the circumstances, have understood the full extent and nature of the injury and that the injury was related to his or her employment? Aanenson, 842 P.2d at 1082. This question necessarily requires a careful evaluation of all facts to determine when an employee reasonably understood the nature and seriousness of his condition and that it was work-related. Our previous decisions have never burdened an employee with filing claims for incidents or trivial injuries to avoid timeliness issues. Big Horn Coal Co., 502 P.2d at 188 (citing Potter v. Midland Cooperatives, Inc., 248 Minn. 380, 80 N.W.2d 59, 61 (1956)). However, the employee may not ignore these requirements for compensable injuries because notice requirements and the statute of limitations exist to allow employers to investigate claims, monitor medical care, and avoid stale claims. Sherwin-Williams Co. v. Borchert, 994 P.2d 959, 964 (Wyo. 2000). The finder of fact is charged with determining the time and cause of a compensable injury; however, whether an employee's claim is to be barred for failure to timely file notice or a claim is a mixed question of fact and law. Aanenson, 842 P.2d at 1080. [¶ 15] In this case, Rice's actions indicate that if his self-diagnosis was correct, he understood the nature and seriousness of his injury and that it was work-related as early as October 1998. He wrote two doctors inquiring about a relationship, was seen by two doctors to inquire about a relationship, and no diagnosis established that he was correct. Although Rice did not receive a diagnosis that his injury was caused by a work-related chemical exposure, he diligently pursued medical treatment, again pointing out to two different doctors that the pain might be caused by the chemical exposure and again receiving an arthritis diagnosis. Despite an arthritis diagnosis, Rice filed an injury report with the Division in March of 1999, well before he received in July of 1999 Dr. Painter's diagnosis confirming his suspicions. Based on these facts, we conclude that the hearing examiner's finding that Rice did not timely file an injury report with the employer or the Division is clearly contrary to the weight of the evidence. We affirm the decision, however, on grounds that Rice did not establish by a preponderance of the evidence that he suffered an injury.