Court Opinion

ID: 9878288
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-27 16:52:26.21512+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:47:34.576018
License: Public Domain

GOREE, J.,
dissents with opinion:
¶ 18 The majority holds that § 62 applies to nonsurgical soft tissue injuries but it does not apply to surgical soft tissue injuries. I have a different view. I believe the Legislature intended temporary total disability benefits to be limited for all claims within the definition of “soft tissue injury.” The extent of the limitation depends upon the medical treatment. When a treating physician recommends surgery for the soft tissue injury, the employee may petition the Commission for an extension that does not exceed sixteen weeks of TTD compensation.
¶ 19 In this case, Claimant successfully petitioned for an extension that exceeded the maximum TTD for her soft tissue injury. The majority concludes that § 62 was rendered inapplicable when surgery was performed. It found Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. v. Bonat, 2008 OK 47, 186 P.3d 952 instructive in Its interpretation of the statute. But legislative changes after Bonat diminish its application.
*336¶20 As the majority emphasizes, Bonat held “Section 22(3)(d) is silent as to the period of time TTD and medical benefits are to be provided when surgery to the soft tissue is performed.” Bonat considered this legislative silence and decided that the general statute allowing a maximum of 156 weeks would apply when corrective surgery is performed. In the present case, the majority observes that § 62 is likewise silent as to whether additional TTD is permitted for a soft tissue injury where surgery is performed. But the majority has overlooked the legislation after Bonat.
¶21 In 2011, the Legislature enacted.85 O.S. 2011 § 332 which replaced former § 22. According to § 332(K), a claimant recommended for surgery for a soft tissue injury could petition for an extension of 16 additional weeks of TTD. However, “in the event surgery is performed, the period of tempo-x-ary total disability is subject to the limitations established by subsection A of this section.” Id. Subsection A generally allowed TTD up to a maximum of 156 weeks of compensation.2 By enacting § 332, the Legislature codified the holding in Bonatr — that the soft tissue limitation would not apply “in the event surgery is performed.” But that sentence was eliminated when the Legislature replaced the Workers’ Compensation Court with a new administrative agency and adopted § 62 of the Administrative Workei's’ Compensation Act.
¶ 22 So while the majoi-ity is coirect that § 62 is silent about the effect of surgery on a soft tissue injury, the evolution of this statutory law since Bonat convinces me that the silence is not accidental. Irwin v. Irwin, 1965 OK 145 ¶ 11, 433 P.2d 931, 934 (Where the former statute was clear or its meaning had been judicially settled, the amendment may reasonably indicate legislative intent to alter the law).
¶ 23 In my opinion, the Legislature intentionally removed the surgery exception which the majoiity reads into § 62 on the authority of Bonat. Under the present law, TTD compensation for soft tissue injuries is governed by § 62 whether surgery is performed or not. The Commission may order an extension not to exceed 16 additional weeks when surgery for a soft tissue injury is recommended. The provisions of the AWCA are to be strictly construed by the Commission and the appellate courts. 85A O.S. 2014 Supp. § 106.
¶ 24 I would reverse the Commission’s oi'-der. It is affected by error of law pursuant to 85A O.S. 2014 Supp. § 78(C) because it awai’ds TTD compensation for a soft tissue injury for a period that exceeds the limitations provided by § 62.

. Title 85 O.S. 2011 § 332(K) provides:
In case of a nonsurgical soft tissue injury, in which the employer has provided medical care within seven (7) days after receipt of oral or written notice of the injury, temporary total disability compensation shall not exceed eight (8) weeks, regardless of the number of parts of the body to which there is a nonsurgical soft tissue injury. A claimant who has been recommended by a treating physician for one or more injections may petition the Court for one extension of temporary total disability compensation and the Court may order an extension, not to exceed eight (8) additional weeks. A claimant who has been recommended by a treating physician for surgery for a soft tissue injury may petition the Court for one extension of temporary total disability compensation and the Court may order an extension, not to exceed sixteen (16) additional weeks, if the treating physician indicates that an extension is appropriate or as agreed to by all parties. In the event the surgery is not performed within ninety (90) days of the approval of the surgery by the employer or employer's insurance carrier or an order of the Court authorizing the surgery, the benefits for the extension period shall be terminated by the Court, unless the Court finds the delay was beyond the control of the claimant. In the event surgery is performed, the period of temporary total disability is subject to the limitations established by subsection A of this section. This subsection shall apply to all cases coming before the Court after the effective date of this act, regardless of the date of injury.” (emphasis added),