Court Opinion

ID: 9513666
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:38:51.843523+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:05:57.795667
License: Public Domain

MARING, Justice,
dissenting.
[¶ 19] I respectfully dissent.
[¶ 20] The Bureau argues that there is no “actual wage loss” because “there is no evidence of any attempt to seek or obtain employment at any point after he was terminated from his job....” Again the Bureau argues “actual wage loss” can be established by showing an inability to obtain employment, which in turn can be proven by a job search and evidence of failure to secure a job based on the physical impairment caused by the work injury. As I stated in my dissent in Gronjur, it seems reasonable that an inability to obtain employment also can be proven by medical evidence that the employee is totally disabled from performing any work as a result of the physical impairment caused by the work injury. Gronfur v. North Dakota Workers Comp. Fund, 2003 ND 42, ¶¶ 17-20, 658 N.W.2d 337 (Maring, J., dissenting).
[¶ 21] The Bureau concluded Bachmeier had sustained a significant worsening of his compensable work condition sometime after his benefits were discontinued on March 20, 1996, and more than 30 days prior to his reapplication on July 13, 2000. The medical evidence in the record to support this finding of the Bureau includes a new L5-S1 disc herniation noted on the MRI and changes of degenerative disc disease attributable to the work injury and subsequent surgery, both of which can explain Bachmeier’s increased symptomatol-ogy. The Bureau, however, never addressed the medical evidence establishing that Bachmeier was totally disabled as a result of his work injury and was unable to return to any work. Dr. Rayer testified Bachmeier was not capable of any full-time work and Dr. Bergom at Altru Clinic in Grand Forks, who performed a thorough evaluation for Social Security on May 26, 1999, concluded “[t]his gentleman is disabled for any job requiring prolonged standing, lifting, pushing, or pulling.” Dr. Martire, in his letter of April 9, 2001, said there was no herniation at L5-S1 disc level on the 8/9/94 report, but there was a bulge. In his opinion, the difference between a bulge versus a herniation is just a matter *223of degree of protrusion of the disc. He stated that the fact Bachmeier never had any significant relief of his left leg pain after surgery on 7/3/95 raised the possibility that his referred leg pain could have all along been due to an L5-S1 disc bulge, which has now herniated causing left SI radiculopathy.
[¶ 22] I remain of the opinion that if an employee is unable to obtain employment because of total disability resulting from a work injury it can be proven through medical evidence and a job search is not required.
[¶ 23] I, therefore, dissent and would reverse the denial of total disability benefits.
[¶ 24] WILLIAM A. NEUMANN, J., joins the dissent.