Opinion ID: 1280719
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: From Magic Words to Magic Tests: The Practical Application of the Majority's Opinion

Text: The law is a sort of hocus-pocus science. [17] In Lambert v. Workers' Compensation Division, 211 W.Va. 436, 446-47, 566 S.E.2d 573, 583-84 (2002), we cautioned against the reliance on buzzwords or magic phrases in the assessment of an injured employee's degree of impairment. Although the majority seemingly echoes this refrain, ironically it does not practice what it preaches. Behind the smoke and mirrors of the Court's decision in the case sub judice, the majority nevertheless adopts not magic words but a magic test, the ROM model, for determining the extent of a claimant's work-related disability. Despite the majority's protestations to the contrary, the practical application of its decision will most certainly `open the lock' for a claimant seeking compensation. I only hope that the Legislature can uncover this illusion before the Workers' Compensation Fund is depleted to the detriment of future claimants disabled by work-related injuries.