Opinion ID: 2966818
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Claim under the LHWCA

Text: Callis Carmines (Claimant) was employed as a mechanic and electrical supervisor at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company from 1936 until his retirement in 1981. Newport News is in the business of constructing and repairing ocean-going vessels. 2 Throughout his employment, the Claimant performed work related to ship repair or construction on the navigable waters of the James River and its adjacent piers and dry docks. For over thirty years during this employment, from 1936 until 1968, the Claimant was daily exposed to large quantities of asbestos. Sometimes he worked in environments where asbestos filled the air so thickly as to form a white cloud of dust. Often he would nap in a pile of asbestos during his lunch break. In 1990, the Claimant's attending physician, Dr. Frank Robert, arranged for him to be seen by a specialist, Dr. Laurie Moore, Jr. On October 25, 1990, Dr. Moore diagnosed that the Claimant suffered from pulmonary asbestosis. Based upon her examination of the Claimant and her review of his chart, Dr. Moore opined that the Claimant suffered a 25-30% permanent impairment of the whole person due to his pulmonary asbestosis. This estimate was made pursuant to the AMA Guidelines to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, third edition. The Claimant filed a claim for compensation benefits pursuant to the LHWCA. The Claimant and Newport News stipulated that compensation benefits should be paid to him for a work-related 28% permanent impairment pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 908(c)(23). The parties also agreed that the Claimant was entitled to compensation of $63.37 per week, payable from the time of diagnosis forward. Neither the fact of compensation nor its amount are at issue here.