Court Opinion

ID: 9692391
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 15:53:09.145338+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:19:34.320650
License: Public Domain

FRIEDMAN, Judge,
dissenting.
Because I agree with Wayne Daniels (Claimant) that the workers’ compensation judge (WCJ) failed to issue a reasoned decision as required under section 422(a) of the Workers’ Compensation Act1 (Act), 77 P.S. § 834,1 respectfully dissent.2
Section 422(a) of the Act, which addresses the WCJ’s responsibility in deciding workers’ compensation cases, was amended in 1993 to include a reasoned decision requirement. In 1996, the legislature again amended section 422(a), adding language which further detailed the components of a reasoned decision and required more meticulous decision-writing by WCJs. Section 422(a) of the Act, as amended in 1996, now provides:
Neither the board nor any of its members nor any workers’ compensation judge shall be bound by the common law or statutory rules of evidence in conducting any hearing or investigation, but all findings of fact shall be based upon sufficient competent evidence to justify same. All parties to an adjudicatory proceeding are entitled to a reasoned decision containing findings of fact and conclusions of law based upon the evidence as a whole which clearly and concisely states and explains the rationale for the decisions so that all can determine why and how a particular result was reached. The workers’ compensation judge shall specify the evidence upon which the workers’ compensation judge relies and state the reasons for accepting it in conformity with this section. When faced with conflicting evidence, the workers’ compensation judge must adequately explain the reasons for rejecting or discrediting competent evidence. Uncontroverted evidence may not be rejected for no reason or for an irrational reason; the workers’ compensation judge must identify that evidence and explain adequately the reasons for its rejection. The adjudication shall provide the basis for meaningful appellate review.
77 P.S. § 834 (emphasis added).
Here, Tristate Transport (Employer) offered medical testimony from John T. Williams, M.D. in support of its termination petition. In opposition to Employer’s termination petition, Claimant testified on his own behalf and presented the deposition testimony of his treating physician, Stephen Fabian, M.D.3 Faced with competent, conflicting testimony from Claimant and the two medical witnesses, the *307WCJ summarized the evidence and then simply stated:
16. Based upon a review of the eviden-tiary record as a whole, this [WCJ] finds the testimony of the Claimant is not credible or persuasive.
17. Based upon a review of the eviden-tiary record as a whole, this [WCJ] finds the opinions of Dr. Williams to be more credible and persuasive than the opinions of Dr. Fabian. Accordingly, the opinions of Dr. Fabian are rejected wherever inconsistent with the opinions of Dr. Williams.
(WCJ’s Findings of Fact, Nos. 16-17.)
On this basis, the WCJ concluded that Employer sustained its burden of proving that Claimant was fully recovered from his work injury as of November 7, 1991 and granted Employer’s termination petition. However, it is clear to me that, in her findings regarding credibility and eviden-tiary weight, the WCJ made no attempt to explain, much less to adequately explain, her reasons for rejecting or discrediting competent evidence, as currently required under section 422(a) of the Act. I cannot agree with the WCAB’s conclusion, accepted by the majority, that simply summarizing the evidence and making credibility determinations, without providing an explanation as to why competent evidence was rejected, satisfies the requirements of a reasoned decision, (majority op. at 305), and I believe that, in so concluding, the majority renders the 1996 amendments to section 422(a) of the Act meaningless.4
I recognize that the 1996 amendments to the Act have not diminished the WCJ’s authority over questions of credibility and evidentiary weight, PEC Contracting Engineers v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Hutchison), 717 A.2d 1086 (Pa.Cmwlth.1998); however, while WCJs remain free to decide such questions, the 1996 amendments to the Act require that WCJs do more than merely summarize evidence and make credibility determinations in order to satisfy the statutory criteria for a reasoned decision.5 When faced *308with conflicting, competent evidence, WCJs also must adequately explain the reasons why they rejected or discredited competent evidence.6 77 P.S. § 834; Hahnemann University Hospital v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Wallace), 718 A.2d 391 (Pa.Cmwlth.1998).
In its brief, Employer points out that, in fourteen of eighteen findings, the WCJ summarized and cited to telling portions of the record, before stating that she believed Dr. Williams and disbelieved Dr. Fabian and Claimant. According to Employer, this constitutes a “reasoned decision” because “[i]t is not hard to imagine how the WCJ reached her conclusions.”'7 (Employer’s brief at 13.) Apparently, the majority agrees, (see majority op. at 300); however, this statement by Employer exactly illustrates my point. Although unrecognized by the majority, the 1996 amendments have cleared any doubt as to the legislature’s intent to prevent the parties from having to “imagine” why certain credibility determinations were made. Thus, through its enactment of the 1996 amendments, the legislature has expressed its dissatisfaction, both with accepted practice prior to the reasoned decision requirement, see e.g., Roth v. Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board (Armstrong World Industries), 128 Pa.Cmwlth. 1, 562 A.2d 950 (1989), and with the judicial interpretation of the 1993 reasoned decision provision, which left the WCJ’s decision-writing responsibilities largely unaffected. See e.g., Greenwich Collieries v. Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board *309(Buck), 664 A.2d 703 (Pa.Cmwlth.1995); Sherrod v. Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board (Thoroughgood, Inc.), 666 A.2d 383 (Pa.Cmwlth.1995). It is now time to give meaning to the legislature’s plain language and expressed intent.
For the reasons stated, I believe that the WCJ here ignored the mandate of section 422(a) and, thus, the WCAB erred when it determined that the WCJ provided a reasoned decision in compliance with that section. Accordingly, I would remand this matter to the WCAB to remand to the WCJ for a reasoned decision providing an adequate explanation of the reasons for rejecting or discrediting competent testimony.8
Judge PELLEGRINI joins in this dissent.

. Act of June 2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended, 77 P.S. § 834.

. Notwithstanding my dissent with respect to the reasoned decision issue, I agree with the majority that there is no merit to Claimant’s argument, first made in his supplemental brief to this court, that section 422(a) of the Act, 77 P.S. § 834, in conjunction with section 423(c) of the Act, added by Act of June 24, 1996, P.L. 350, § 18, 77 P.S. § 854.2, authorizes this court to review a WCJ’s credibility determinations on appeal and to render a new decision based on the evidence in the certified record.

.Claimant argues that, because Dr. Fabian was Claimant’s treating physician, the WCJ should have given greater credence to Dr. Fabian’s testimony than to the testimony of Dr. Williams, who examined Claimant only for the purpose of offering testimony. Although I agree with Claimant that the WCJ’s decision fails to comply with section 422(a) of the Act, I stress that I do not agree with Claimant's contention that the WCJ must give greater credence to a treating physician's testimony. See Ashe v. Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board (Department of Labor and Industry), 167 Pa.Cmwlth. 624, 648 A.2d 1306 (1994).

. Indeed, as support for its position that the WCJ need not explain specifically why she rejected certain testimony, the majority cites Roth v. Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board (Armstrong World Industries), 128 Pa. Cmwlth. 1, 562 A.2d 950 (1989), a decision issued prior even to the 1993 amendments to the Act. Instead, I would rely on Hahnemann University Hospital v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Wallace), 718 A.2d 391 (Pa.Cmwlth.1998), in which this court considered the effect of the 1996 amendments on a WCJ’s decision-writing responsibilities. In Hahnemann, we acknowledged that in cases decided prior to the 1996 amendments, this court interpreted section 422(a) as not requiring a WCJ to set forth in detail the process by which he or she arrived at a determination. The WCJ needed only to state his or her determination in a clear and concise manner. Sherrod v. Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board (Thoroughgood, Inc.), 666 A.2d 383 (Pa.Cmwlth.1995). We noted that, prior to the 1996 amendments, we considered a decision to be "reasoned” if it simply summarized the testimony found credible by the WCJ because section 422(a) contained no requirement that WCJs explain why they accepted the testimony of one witness over another. Greenwich Collieries v. Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board (Buck), 664 A.2d 703 (Pa.Cmwlth.1995). However, we determined that, through the language added in the 1996 amendments, which specifically mandated inclusion of such an explanation, the legislature evidenced an intent to require a WCJ to do more than merely summarize evidence and make credibility determinations in order to satisfy the statutory criteria for a reasoned decision. We held that, now, the WCJ must state his or her reasons for accepting that evidence and must adequately explain why he or she rejected or discredited competent conflicting evidence. Hahnemann.

. Employer disagrees and contends that the WCJ’s credibility determinations here fully satisfied the reasoned decision requirement, citing Cooper Power Systems v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (McFarland), 722 A.2d 746 (Pa.Cmwlth.1998), for the proposition that "a finding of one party's evidence on a particular issue to be credible is a sufficient reason for rejecting an opposing party’s contrary evidence on that particular issue.” (Employer's supplemental brief at 5.) However, I disagree with Employer’s interpretation of Cooper Power. In fact, in that case, we cite to Hahnemann and state, ”[o]nce a WCJ determines witness credibility and makes factual findings that are supported by substantial evidence, the only remaining requirement is to *308adequately explain how the credibility determinations were reached.” Cooper Power, 722 A.2d at 749 (emphasis added). Employer also relies on Serrano v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Chain Bike Corp.), 718 A.2d 885 (Pa.Cmwlth.1998), to argue that a WCJ need not explain the basis for credibility and weight determinations. However, because Serrano rests solely on cases which did not consider the 1996 amendments to section 422(a) of the Act, it is not relevant here.

. In PEC Contracting, this court considered whether a WCJ complied with section 422(a) of the Act by adequately explaining his reasons for rejecting competent medical testimony. We held that the reasoned decision requirement was satisfied where the WCJ's decision reflected that he reviewed the evidence of record and explained that he based his credibility determination on one doctor’s greater familiarity and length of experience with the claimant. Similarly, in Cooper Power, we held that the WCJ’s decision complied with the requirement of section 422(a) of the Act, to adequately explain how credibility determinations were reached, where the WCJ explained that she discredited a doctor’s medical report because it was internally inconsistent and conclusory. In Lambie v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Curry Lumber Co.), 736 A.2d 67 (Pa.Cmwlth.), appeal denied, - Pa. -, 747 A.2d 903 (1999), we determined that the WCJ complied with section 422(a) where the WCJ summarized pertinent testimony, explained why he rejected the testimony of certain witnesses and explained the rationale for his decision. In contrast to the explanations offered by the WCJs in PEC Contracting, Cooper Power and Lambie, the WCJ here made no effort to explain her credibility determinations by informing the parties why she accepted one medical witness over the other. In fact, the credibility determinations here bear a striking resemblance to those rejected in Hahnemann, which stated as follows:
5. The [WCJ] has reviewed all of the evidence presented in this case. The [WCJ] finds the Claimant to be a credible witness.
6. The [WCJ] finds the testimony and opinions of Claimant’s medical witnesses, Dr. Ruth and Dr. Fisher to.be more credible and persuasive than the testimony and opinions of [Employer’s] medical witness, Dr. Murray Glickman.
Id. at 396. We concluded that these findings clearly failed to comport with the reasoned decision requirements expressly set forth by the legislature in the 1996 amendments to the Act.

. Employer then goes on to speculate as to the likely reasons behind the WCJ’s credibility determinations. I note that the reasons provided by Employer are all sound, and, if the WCJ had offered them to explain her credibility determinations, this certainly would have been a reasoned decision. However, in truth, the WCJ’s decision is bereft of any factual or legal analysis revealing the inferences and deductions she made in determining that Employer satisfied its burden of proof on the termination petition. Without such analysis, we are left to guess at the WCJ’s rationale, and, thus, we are unable to engage in meaningful appellate review.

. Because I do not believe that a reasoned decision has been presented for our review, I would not address Claimant’s other argument, i.e., that the WCJ's decision is not supported by substantial competent evidence. Where, as here, meaningful appellate review is precluded absent a reasoned decision by the WCJ, the proper inquiry is not whether substantial evidence supporting the result can be found within the record; rather, the case must be remanded with instructions that the WCJ issue an amended decision enabling us to perform our appellate role. Hahnemann.