Opinion ID: 2633163
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Injury and the Award of PPD Benefits

Text: On July 8, 1992, Capua suffered an on-the-job accident while employed as a sheet catcher [1] by respondent/employer-appellee Weyerhaeuser Company. Capua injured her lower back while lifting and restacking cardboard sheets that had fallen off a conveyor belt. On July 14, 1992, Weyerhaeuser filed a WC-1 Employer's Report of Industrial Injury, indicating that Capua felt [a] sharp pain in [her] lower left back area after attempting to lift a stack (handful) of sheets. On August 12, 1992, Weyerhaeuser filed a second WC-1 report, accepting liability for Capua's injury. [Capua] continued to work until September of 1992, when she was taken off work by her doctor. [Capua] was off work from September to November of 1992, and for various periods thereafter. [Weyerhaeuser] provided [Capua] with temporary light duty work upon her return and she gradually worked her way back to full-time status. Although Capua eventually returned to full-time status, she remained at her light duty position. Some time after her July 9, 1992 injury, Capua apparently sought and was granted temporary total disability (TTD) benefits. [2] Thereafter, on June 18, 1996, Capua applied for PPD benefits. The director, on December 4, 1996, issued a decision awarding Capua, inter alia, eight percent (8%) PPD of the whole person as a result of her work injury. After she received her PPD award, Capua continued to work at Weyerhaeuser in her light duty position.