Opinion ID: 2224555
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Substantial Evidence Supporting the Fifteen Percent Industrial Disability Determination.

Text: In their final challenge to the Industrial Commissioner's determination, Oscar Mayer argues that the Commissioner's assessment of a fifteen percent industrial disability was not supported by substantial evidence. More specifically, Oscar Mayer argues that because Tasler continued to work, even accepting overtime when available, and thus suffered no actual diminution in earning capacity as of the date the plant was closed, Tasler cannot be deemed to have suffered an industrial disability. In further support of their assertion, Oscar Mayer notes that Tasler is currently enrolled in a two-year executive assistant's course at Des Moines Area Community College and, therefore, may be well on her way to earning more than she did as a production line worker with Oscar Mayer. Our task, pursuant to Iowa Code section 17A.19(8)(f), is to ensure that the Commissioner's actions were supported by substantial evidence in the record when that record is viewed as a whole. Evidence is substantial if a reasonable person would find it adequate for reaching a conclusion, even though a reviewing court might reach a contrary inference. Mercy Health Ctr., 360 N.W.2d at 811-12. The mere possibility that the record might support another conclusion does not permit the reviewing court to make a finding inconsistent with the agency finding so long as there is substantial evidence to support it. City of Davenport v. PERB, 264 N.W.2d 307, 311 (Iowa 1978). However, prior to making the above evidentiary determination, the legal criteria on which a determination of industrial disability rests must first be considered. In Diederich v. Tri-City Railway, 219 Iowa 587, 258 N.W. 899 (1935), we stated that the term disability for purposes of the workers' compensation statute means `industrial disability' or loss of earning capacity and not a mere `functional disability' to be computed in terms of percentages of the total physical and mental ability of a normal man. Diederich, 219 Iowa at 593, 258 N.W. at 902. In determining [the extent of an employee's] industrial disability, consideration may be given to the injured employee's age, education, qualifications, experience and his inability, because of the injury, to engage in employment for which he is fitted. Olson v. Goodyear Serv. Stores, 255 Iowa 1112, 1121, 125 N.W.2d 251, 257 (1963); see also Gallardo v. Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., 482 N.W.2d 393 (Iowa 1992). If the evidence relating to these criteria is substantial when the record is viewed as a whole, the Commissioner's decision must be sustained. The record compiled before the Commissioner in the instant case indicates that Tasler was permanently restricted from operating the bandsaw as of April 30, 1985. In addition, at the time of the plant closing, Dr. Sohn had instructed Tasler to refrain from bending, stooping, or lifting over fifteen pounds; he also required her to take a fifteen-minute break every hour. Several of the physicians consulted by Tasler indicated that if she did not obtain a less physically demanding job, no abatement in her symptomatology could be expected. Finally, Dr. Rolek stated that Tasler had sustained a twenty-eight percent physical impairment as a consequence of her work with Oscar Mayer. The evidence also suggests that Tasler is young enough to be retrained and in fact is actively seeking retraining with the help of government aid. As the Commissioner properly notes, this is an appropriate consideration in determining the degree of industrial disability. However, it is important to remember that any benefits that might accrue from Tasler's efforts to secure further skills are speculative and, therefore, should not be regarded as dispositive on the issue of whether she has suffered a loss of earning capacity. Based on the foregoing evidence, we conclude that the Commissioner's determination that Tasler is, as a practical matter, permanently foreclosed from engaging in physically intensive labor of the sort she was accustomed to in the course of her employment with Oscar Mayer is supported by substantial evidence. Based upon the generally consistent diagnoses offered by the various physicians, Tasler's testimony, and the restrictions imposed on Tasler as of the time of the plant closing, it is certainly reasonable to conclude that Tasler has sustained a fifteen percent loss of earning capacity. Oscar Mayer, nevertheless, urges us to adopt a definition of disability that would require an actual diminution in earning capacity as of time of injury. As we have noted above, the Commissioner is entitled to draw reasonable inferences based upon the evidence presented and thus conclude that Tasler is currently foreclosed from full participation in manual labor of the sort she was accustomed to while in the employ of Oscar Mayer. Thus, it can be said that Tasler has suffered a loss of earning capacity even though she did not suffer an actual diminution in her earnings while in the employ of Oscar Mayer. Requiring a claimant to also demonstrate an actual diminution in earnings would place a premium on missing work often unnecessarilymerely to establish an actual diminution in earnings and thereby penalize devoted employees who faithfully perform job duties despite bodily discomfort and damage. See Bellwood Nursing Home, 106 Ill.Dec. at 237, 505 N.E.2d at 1028. This is not to say, however, that an actual diminution in earnings is unimportant in establishing an industrial disability; we only decide that in this age of insidious work place injuries, compensable disabilities will often be present despite the fact that the employee has not, as yet, suffered any actual diminution in earning capacity. Thus, a showing of actual diminution in earnings will not always be necessary to demonstrate an injury-induced reduction in earning capacity. The decision of the court of appeals is vacated, and the district court judgment is affirmed. DECISION OF COURT OF APPEALS VACATED; DISTRICT COURT JUDGMENT AFFIRMED.