CompFox AI Summary
The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board denied the defendant's petition for reconsideration, upholding the administrative law judge's finding of 20 percent permanent disability for a corrections officer's hernia injury. The defendant argued that the AMA Guides warranted zero percent impairment, but the Board found the agreed medical examiner's report constituted substantial evidence. The examiner determined the applicant met criteria for class II impairment based on frequent discomfort precluding heavy lifting, even with surgical mesh obscuring a palpable defect. The Board deferred to the medical expert's opinion, affirming the prior award.
Full Decision Text1 Pages
The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board denied the defendant's petition for reconsideration, upholding the administrative law judge's finding of 20 percent permanent disability for a corrections officer's hernia injury. The defendant argued that the AMA Guides warranted zero percent impairment, but the Board found the agreed medical examiner's report constituted substantial evidence. The examiner determined the applicant met criteria for class II impairment based on frequent discomfort precluding heavy lifting, even with surgical mesh obscuring a palpable defect. The Board deferred to the medical expert's opinion, affirming the prior award.
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