Opinion ID: 1401296
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ray Allen

Text: It was undisputed that Mr. Allen was exposed to hazardous noise daily during the 35 years he worked in the defendant-employer's steel mill. He quit working on January 31, 2002, and subsequently filed a claim alleging an occupational hearing loss. When evaluated by Dr. Windmill, the university evaluator, Mr. Allen was 60 years old. As in the Johnston case, Dr. Windmill evaluated the claimant and completed a Form 108-HL. He reported an 8% AMA impairment that within a reasonable medical probability was work-related. In response to a question whether any part of the impairment was due to the natural aging process, he replied, Approximately 25 to 30% of Mr. Allen's hearing loss can be explained based on the natural aging process. When deposed concerning the method for estimating age-related impairment, Dr. Windmill explained that the tables that were appended to the hearing conservation amendment to the Federal Noise Control Act showed average hearing levels by age and that he had used the tables as a basis for his estimate of Mr. Allen's age-related hearing loss. Addressing the effect of age on hearing, Dr. Windmill explained that many factors cause ear damage over time such as noise, medications, chemicals, diet, and artery disease. The effects of such damage are generally measurable between the ages of 45-50 and increase progressively. Some age-related effects would be expected at age 60. Dr. Windmill stated, however, that an estimate that age accounted for 25% of Mr. Allen's hearing loss did not mean that it accounted for 25% of his 8% AMA impairment because AMA impairment considers only hearing loss at the middle frequencies involved in speech. In his opinion, using the tables to apportion part of an AMA impairment to age is akin to comparing apples and oranges. Although it is not difficult to do, It's definitely speculative. Asked whether he could state with reasonable medical probability that some portion of Mr. Allen's impairment was not due to occupational noise exposure, he stated, No.