Court Opinion

ID: 9791317
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:08:52.743106+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:35.391087
License: Public Domain

BISTLINE, Justice,
specially concurring.
Because the majority opinion uses the terms “travel allowances” and “travel accommodations,” I write separately to explain in more detail just what expenses the travel allowance should cover. An available dictionary reveals that the two terms do not convey the same meaning.
The first paragraph of the majority opinion states that “the employee is entitled to have the employer furnish reasonable travel accommodations to and from the retraining facility.” Maj.Op. at 955-956, 793 P.2d at 187-188 (emphasis added). Accommodations, which is the plural of accommodation, is defined in the 1978 edition of the American Heritage Dictionary as: “a. Lodgings; room and food. b. A seat, compartment, or room on a public vehicle.” Ergo, travel accommodations entitles the claimant to receive room and board, as well as transport on a public vehicle to and from the retraining facility.
On the other hand is the majority’s reference to travel allowances. The majority, in conclusion, vacates “the order of the Commission denying Haldiman an allowance for travel to and from the place of retraining____” Maj.Op. at 959, 793 P.2d at 191 (emphasis added). An allowance is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as: “3. A regular provision of money, food, or the like, ...” Where the claimant has been held entitled to a travel allowance, the claimant is to be reimbursed for the cost of driving a private vehicle to and from the retraining facility, but perhaps not reimbursed for meals and lodging.
The solution to the majority’s confusion of terms should not long trouble the Commission in proceedings on remand. It will likely consider this claimant’s particular circumstances and determine whether the travel allowance will include the cost of accommodations. For instance, if the retraining facility is far from the claimant’s home, or if the claimant is an outpatient (see I.C. § 72-433(3)) then remuneration for food, lodging, and transportation would be appropriate. If the claimant by chance lives close to the retraining facility, there might be no necessity, other than the cost of the claimant’s commute to and from the facility, for the Commission to include accommodations as part of a travel allowance.