Court Opinion

ID: 9622846
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 06:24:13.834227+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:21.160249
License: Public Domain

WARDEN, P. J.,
dissenting.
The majority orders reinstatement of the referee’s order, which awarded claimant permanent total disability. The majority concedes that “the medical evidence alone does not show that claimant is totally disabled,” yet it concludes that because of her “age, physical limitations, lack of education and limited work experience,” and because of her psychological problems which interfere with her ability to deal with her pain, claimant is in the odd-lot category. I disagree and, therefore, dissent.
*309The referee’s own findings do not support the award. At the time of the hearing, claimant was only 43 years old. She was limited in how much she could lift and carry to 20 pounds and restricted in some back movements; however, as the referee noted, Orthopaedic Consultants concluded that she could do light work, and her own treating orthopedic physician concluded that she could do sedentary work. She has had 10 years of formal education and has received a high school general equivalency degree. As the referee found, her work experience includes work as a waitress, a maid in a private home, a cashier and stock clerk, cake decorating and instructing, as well as nursery or farm labor that she was doing when she was injured. As for psychological problems, the referee found: “There are no psychological, or emotional residuals.” The referee also observed: “The vocational counsellor was confident she could locate work claimant could do in the light or sedentary areas. She may be right.”
Because claimant is still relatively young, is physically limited only in lifting and certain movements of her back, has education equivalent to a high school diploma, has had a variety of work experience and lacks psychological residuals and because the vocational counsellor believed she could find work for claimant that she could do within her limitations, I would not find her to be permanently totally disabled. Because she does not suggest that anything less than an award of permanent total disability would be acceptable to her, I would not consider whether her disability is greater than that already awarded but would affirm the order of the Board. Therefore, I dissent.