Opinion ID: 1201378
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Case Number 34672 Darrell Dotson

Text: Darrell W. Dotson (hereinafter Mr. Dotson), the other appellant herein, was injured in the course of and as a result of his employment on March 23, 1998. At the time of his injury, Mr. Dotson was employed as an underground coal miner; he injured his back while pulling a miner cable. Mr. Dotson briefly returned to work, but severe lumbar pain resulting from his work-related back injury forced him to cease employment in June 1998. Since that time, Mr. Dotson has undergone pain management therapy, but he has been unable to return to work due to the ongoing pain and decreased mobility resulting from his work-related back injury. By decision dated February 25, 2003, the Workers Compensation Division granted Mr. Dotson a 5% permanent partial disability award due to his work-related injury. Mr. Dotson appealed this award, and, by order entered March 18, 2004, the OOJ reversed Mr. Dotson's earlier award and granted him, instead, a 19% permanent partial disability award due to his work-related lumbosacral injury; the Board of Review affirmed Mr. Dotson's 19% permanent partial disability award by order entered December 29, 2004. This Court refused Mr. Dotson's subsequent appeal of this award. On June 1, 1999, Mr. Dotson's treating physician, Dr. Margaret S. Wantz (hereinafter Dr. Wantz), first recorded that Mr. Dotson is becoming more and more depressed due to pain and being unable to work. Thereafter, on June 4, 1999, Dr. Wantz prescribed medication to treat Mr. Dotson's symptoms of depression; the Workers' Compensation Commission (hereinafter the Commission) authorized this medication. Dr. Wantz continued to observe and recount Mr. Dotson's symptoms of depression in her subsequent treatment notes. Nearly seven and one-half years after first observing Mr. Dotson's depression, Dr. Wantz, on February 1, 2006, requested that major depression be added as a compensable diagnosis to Mr. Dotson's workers' compensation claim resulting from his March 23, 1998, work-related back injury. The Office of Medical Management (the OMM) denied this request on February 13, 2006, citing W. Va.C.S.R. § 85-20-12.2.a, which requires a psychiatric diagnosis be made within six months of the work-related injury, or a significant complication thereof, upon which such psychiatric diagnosis is based to be held compensable. In turn, the Claims Administrator upheld the OMM's denial of a depression diagnosis by order entered February 15, 2006. Likewise, the Office of Judges (the OOJ), by decision dated July 25, 2006, and the Board, by order entered April 5, 2007, upheld these rulings. From these adverse decisions, Mr. Dotson appeals to this Court.