Allegheny Power v. Workers' Compensation Appeal Board

841 A.2d 614, 2004 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 43
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 22, 2004
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 841 A.2d 614 (Allegheny Power v. Workers' Compensation Appeal Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Allegheny Power v. Workers' Compensation Appeal Board, 841 A.2d 614, 2004 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 43 (Pa. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION BY

Senior Judge FLAHERTY.

Allegheny Power (Employer) petitions for review from a decision of the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Board) which reversed the decision of the Workers’ Compensation Judge (WCJ) and denied Allegheny Power’s modification petition. We affirm.

On February 27, 1995, Thomas Barry (Claimant) was injured during the course and scope of his employment with Employer as a lineman. A notice of compensation payable (NCP) acknowledged a lower back injury.

On December 10,1999, Employer filed a petition for modification and termination alleging that the Claimant had fully recovered from his work injury or, in the alternative, that the Claimant refused work that was available to him within his re[616]*616strictions.1 Claimant denied the allegations.

In support of its position, Employer presented the report and affidavit of Dr. Paul Lieber (Dr. Lieber). Dr. Lieber determined that Claimant had fully recovered from his work-related injury and was capable of returning to his preinjury position.

Next, Employer presented the deposition testimony of Leonard S. Felman (Fel-man), CEO of Expediter, a vocational rehabilitation company. Felman testified that based on a vocational interview, they decided to place Claimant as a telecommunications survey worker. Felman stated that they referred Claimant to Smart Telecommunications (Smart) on April 20, 1999. The position with Smart was a home-based full time, 40 hour per week position that paid $9.00 per hour. The job would require the installation of a separate telephone line in Claimant’s home. Claimant would take surveys by calling individuals throughout the United States and filling out reports of various types. Felman testified further that this work could be done within Claimant’s residence and that the job did not require any lifting. Felman stated that Claimant was concerned about working from within his home and never accepted the position with Smart.

Claimant testified on his own behalf that he continues to suffer low back, left hip and groin pain due to his February 27, 1995 work injury. Claimant stated that he was referred to Smart and participated in an interview with Smart. Claimant stated that Smart offered him a position and that he agreed to try the job provided he did not have to perform it at his home. Claimant testified that he was not able to accept the position in his home because his wife would not permit the home to be used as a work site, as she did not want him on the telephone every time she came home. Claimant stated farther that he lives in a small mobile home which he owns jointly with his wife.

Claimant presented the deposition testimony of Dr. William J. Mitchell, M.D. (Dr. Mitchell). Dr. Mitchell opined that Claimant suffers from bilateral post traumatic lumbar radiculopathy. Dr. Mitchell stated that Claimant has not recovered from his work injury but that he was capable of modified, sedentary, work. Dr. Mitchell stated further that Claimant was capable of performing the job with Smart in his home however; he did not believe that Claimant was capable of driving to the Finleyville location if he were to work on-site.

The WCJ found that Employer had failed to meet its burden of establishing that Claimant had fully recovered from his work injury of February 27, 1995. The WCJ further found that the Employer did establish that the Claimant was physically capable of performing sedentary work on a full time basis; and that the home-based telecommunications work was available for the Claimant as of June 17, 1999. Claimant appealed to the Board.

The Board reversed the WCJ and found that the position offered by Smart was not “available” to Claimant. Employer now petitions our Court for review.2

[617]*617On appeal Employer contends that the Board erred in reversing the WCJ and holding that the position offered to Claimant was not available; in applying Bussa v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Giles & Ransorm, Inc.), Ill A.2d 126 (Pa.Cmwlth.2001), petition for allowance of appeal denied, 568 Pa. 724, 797 A.2d 916 (2002) because Claimant performing the telecommunications job would not be unduly disruptive to the Claimant’s home life and in overturning credibility determinations made by the WCJ.

The Employer bears the burden of proof to modify a Claimant’s benefits based on a Claimant’s alleged ability to return to work. In Kachinski v. Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board (Vepco Construction Co.), 516 Pa. 240, 532 A.2d 374 (1987), our Pennsylvania Supreme court adopted the following relevant requirements which an employer must meet to satisfy its burden to modify compensation payments:

1. The employer must produce evidence of a referral or referrals to a then open job (or jobs), which fits the occupational category which the claimant has been given medical clearance e.g., light work, sedentary work, etc.
2. The claimant must then demonstrate that he has in good faith followed through on the job referral(s).

Id., 516 Pa. at 252, 532 A.2d at 380. In determining whether an offered job is “actually available”, we must consider whether “it can be performed by the claimant, taking into consideration his physical limitations and restrictions, age, intellectual capacity, education, previous work experience and other relevant considerations. ‘Other relevant considerations have included non-medical factors such as the claimant’s place of residence, the distance and duration of the claimant’s commute, and the length of the workday.’ ” Id. (citations omitted).

In Bussa, the claimant was offered a part-time position that would require him to work out of his home from his own computer. The position also required the installation of a second phone line. Our Court in applying the totality of the circumstances approach determined that the position was not actually available to claimant based on the size of the claimant’s apartment which he shared with his wife, that there was no dedicated workspace for the equipment, and that the claimant would not be able to work if his wife would happen to be sick or bedridden.

Employer relies on Medved v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Albert Gallatin Services), 788 A.2d 447 (Pa.Cmwlth.2001), where the claimant petitioned for review of the Board’s order which granted the modification petition of her employer and found that claimant demonstrated a lack of good faith in failing to pursue a telecommunications position from her home. Claimant argued working out of the home would disrupt her home life, that it was an unreasonable invasion of her privacy as a propei’ty owner and the telecommunication employer refused to pay rent for making her use space in her home or rent a small storeroom that was available to do the work. Claimant’s husband testified however, that he worked outside the home seven days a week operating barber shops and beauty shops. This court held, Judge Pellegrini strongly dissenting, there were no factors present there which would have prevented Claimant from working at home. The present case, however, is distinguishable from Medved. Unlike Mr.

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