Opinion ID: 1364293
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: adequacy of appeal board's findings

Text: The second basis found by the Appeal Board for reversing the OOJ decision in this case, is that the appellant's psychiatric impairment was not an injury received in the course of or as a result of her employment. The Commissioner offered this legal conclusion in its denial of the appellant's claim. Other than offer this legal conclusion, the order of the Appeal Board does not state any of the findings or facts upon which it relied to reverse the OOJ's decision. Without such record findings ... the Court on judicial review is greatly at sea without a chart or compass in making its determination and adjudication as to whether the ... decision is plainly right or clearly wrong. Workman v. Workmen's Compensation Com'r, 160 W.Va. 656, 662, 236 S.E.2d 236, 240 (1977). The legislature has provided in W.Va.Code § 23-5-12(c) (1995) that: After a review of the case, the board shall sustain the finding of the administrative law judge, in which case it need not make findings of fact or conclusions of law, or enter such order or make such award as the administrative law judge should have made, stating in writing its reasons therefor[.] This latter statute authorizes the Appeal Board, in effect, to adopt the findings of the OOJ, when it affirms a decision, without having to set out its own findings. However, our prior cases required that the Appeal Board issue findings in all of its decisions. [13] The effect of W.Va.Code § 23-5-12(c) is that of merely qualifying our precedent in this area. That is, the statute does not address the issue of an order of the Appeal Board that is inconsistent with the ruling of the OOJ. Therefore, we hold that pursuant to W.Va. Code § 23-5-12(c), when the Appeal Board issues an order that is not an affirmance of a ruling by the OOJ, it must set out adequate findings that support its decision. The order issued by the Appeal Board in the instant case fails to set out any findings with respect to its factual determination that the appellant's psychiatric impairment was not an injury received during the course of or as a result of her employment. We therefore reverse and remand the ruling by the Appeal Board on the issue of noncompensability, with instructions that it issue an order that sets out findings which support its decision on this issue. We also take this opportunity to address a frequent problem area presented to this Court, concerning orders from the Appeal Board that do not affirm rulings by the OOJ. The standard of review by the Appeal Board, when ruling on appeals from the OOJ, is set out in W.Va.Code § 23-5-12(b)(1995), which provides: [The Appeal Board] shall reverse, vacate or modify the order or decision of the administrative law judge if the substantial rights of the petitioner or petitioners have been prejudiced because the administrative law judge's findings are: 1) In violation of statutory provisions; or 2) In excess of the statutory authority or jurisdiction of the administrative law judge; or 3) Made upon unlawful procedures; or 4) Affected by other error of law; or 5) Clearly wrong in view of the reliable, probative and substantial evidence on the whole record; or 6) Arbitrary or capricious or characterized by abuse of discretion or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion. We are concerned with the number of cases that come before this Court that indicate a lack of adherence by the Appeal Board to its statutory standard of review. The legislature has seen the need to craft bright lines between rulings by the OOJ and review of those rulings by the Appeal Board. The legislature has determined by its enactment of W.Va.Code § 23-5-12(b) that the Appeal Board, in essence, must accord deference to decisions by the OOJ. The legislature has not instructed the Appeal Board to adopt every decision by the OOJ. However, the legislature has made clear the standard by which the Appeal Board may reverse a decision by the OOJ. The legislature has made it mandatory that the Appeal Board apply the standard of review set out in W.Va.Code § 23-5-12(b). This Court has the authority and constitutional duty to uphold this legislative mandate. Therefore, we hold that when the Appeal Board reviews a ruling from the OOJ it must do so under the standard of review set out in W.Va.Code § 23-5-12(b), and that failure to do so will be reversible error.