P. McCall v. WCAB (Philadelphia Parking Auth.)

CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 11, 2021
Docket352 C.D. 2020
StatusUnpublished

This text of P. McCall v. WCAB (Philadelphia Parking Auth.) (P. McCall v. WCAB (Philadelphia Parking Auth.)) 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.

Bluebook
P. McCall v. WCAB (Philadelphia Parking Auth.), (Pa. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Petrina McCall, : Petitioner : : No. 352 C.D. 2020 v. : : Submitted: October 2, 2020 Workers’ Compensation Appeal : Board (Philadelphia Parking : Authority), : Respondent :

BEFORE: HONORABLE PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge HONORABLE MICHAEL H. WOJCIK, Judge HONORABLE J. ANDREW CROMPTON, Judge

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION BY JUDGE McCULLOUGH FILED: January 11, 2021

Petrina McCall (Claimant) petitions for review of the March 12, 2020 order of the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Board) that affirmed a decision of Workers’ Compensation Judge Holly San Angelo (WCJ or WCJ San Angelo), granting the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s (Employer) petition to terminate (Termination Petition) Claimant’s workers’ compensation benefits based on her full recovery from her work-related injuries. On appeal, Claimant contends that the Board erred in granting the Termination Petition because Employer’s medical expert failed to review her current medical records, and the WCJ erred in rendering her credibility determinations. For the reasons that follow, we affirm. On January 9, 2015, Claimant was injured in an automobile accident while working for Employer as a parking enforcement officer, when a passing vehicle hit the vehicle she was driving. On January 30, 2015, Employer issued a medical-only notice of temporary compensation payable, accepting that Claimant sustained contusions to her right hip and right knee as a result of the accident. On February 12, 2015, Claimant filed a claim petition, alleging that she sustained additional injuries in the accident. In a decision circulated on November 21, 2016, WCJ Erin Young (WCJ Young) agreed and found that in addition to the accepted injuries, Claimant also sustained post-concussion syndrome with post-traumatic headache; lumbar radiculitis; lumbar facet syndrome; bilateral SI joint dysfunction; right knee contusion; right knee bursitis; bilateral greater trochanter bursitis; right ischial bursitis; and cervical, thoracic, and lumbar sprain and strain. (Reproduced Record (R.R.) at 650a, 656a-57a.) WCJ Young thus awarded Claimant temporary total disability benefits from January 25, 2015, onward at the rate of $573.26 per week based upon an average weekly wage of $859.83, pursuant to the provisions of the Workers’ Compensation Act (Act).1 (R.R. at 657a-58a.) On October 5, 2017, Employer filed the Termination Petition, contending that Claimant had fully recovered from her work injuries as of September 20, 2017. In support of the Termination Petition, Employer presented Claimant’s deposition testimony taken on December 13, 2017, and the deposition testimony of Paul M. Shipkin, M.D., taken on January 24, 2018. During her deposition, Claimant was questioned about the independent medical examination (IME) conducted by Dr. Shipkin on September 20, 2017. Claimant acknowledged that she wore sunglasses to the IME and asked that the shades in the room be closed. When asked why she wore sunglasses at the time, she explained that, “when I’m beginning to have headaches[,] my eyes bother me and I w[ear]

1 Act of June 2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended, 77 P.S. §§1-1041.1, 2501-2710.

2 sunglasses.” (Claimant 12/13/2017 Deposition (Claimant Dep.), at 7; R.R. at 424a- 25a.) Claimant was also asked why she was not currently wearing sunglasses and did not wear them at two prior depositions or before the WCJ. In response, Claimant stated that it was not sunny in those rooms. (Claimant Dep. at 8; R.R. at 425a.) Claimant was also asked about her appointments with Brad C. Klein, M.D. Claimant agreed that she stopped seeing Dr. Klein in September 2016, shortly before her claim petition was granted, and did not return to him for treatment until July 14, 2017. (Claimant Dep. at 9-10; R.R. at 426a-27a.) Since then, Dr. Klein has prescribed her Diclofenac for pain and headaches; Relpax for headaches; and Amitriptyline for depression and sleeplessness. (Claimant Dep. at 10-14; R.R. at 427a-31a.) Claimant also treats with Tony Al-Amin, M.D., once or twice a month. Dr. Al-Amin provides physical therapy. Dr. Al-Amin has given Claimant injections in the back of her head, hips, and right knee. Claimant stated that she continues to have pain from her work injuries, which is sometimes aching pain and sometimes sharp pain. (Claimant Dep. at 34; R.R. at 455a.) Dr. Al-Amin prescribed a Diclofenac gel for the pain. (Claimant Dep. at 35; R.R. at 456a.) Next, Employer presented the deposition testimony of Dr. Shipkin, who is board certified in neurology. Dr. Shipkin related that at the September 20, 2017 IME, Claimant provided a history of her ongoing difficulties resulting from her work injuries. She stated to Dr. Shipkin that, initially, her right knee and right thigh began to swell after the accident. (Dr. Shipkin 1/24/2018 Deposition (Shipkin Dep.), at 13; R.R. at 482a.) About 10 days later, Claimant stated that she began having “issues with [her] head.” Id. Claimant further stated to Dr. Shipkin that she “began to feel weird in [her] head, like seeing a cloud growing in [her] head.” (Shipkin Dep. at 14; R.R. at 483a.) She then developed headaches, which “disappeared for a period of time . . . .” (Shipkin Dep. at 19-20; R.R. at 488a-89a.) However, in February 2017, she said the

3 headaches returned. (Shipkin Dep. at 20; R.R. at 489a.) Claimant stated that she continued to have headaches, right thigh soreness, right buttock soreness, and neck pain as a result of her work injuries. (Shipkin Dep. at 20-21; R.R. at 489a-90a.) Dr. Shipkin then testified that he reviewed Claimant’s medical records, a prior IME report, her deposition testimony from 2015, and photographs of the accident and the police report. (Shipkin Dep. at 23-24, 26; R.R. at 492a-93a, 495a.) He explained that he performed a standard comprehensive neurologic assessment on Claimant. (Shipkin Dep. at 33-34; R.R. at 502a-03a.) He stated that he did not find any abnormalities when examining her head, that “[h]er neck was normal, supple, [with] full range of movement, and [that] her spine musculature was normal.” (Shipkin Dep. at 34; R.R. at 503a.) Dr. Shipkin also stated that he found her responses to his examination to be “vague and inconsistent.” Id. For example, she would claim “[i]t’s uncomfortable” when he assessed certain areas, but “on the same assessment a moment later, she wouldn’t . . . .” Id. Dr. Shipkin noted that Claimant wore sunglasses to the IME. He stated that it was typical for someone who is having a migraine to shield his or her eyes from fluorescent lighting. (Shipkin Dep. at 35; R.R. at 504a.) He stated, however, that when Claimant removed her sunglasses, she did not squint or appear to be in any obvious discomfort, which would have been the expected physiologic response. (Shipkin Dep. at 36; R.R. at 505a.) Dr. Shipkin explained that Claimant did begin to squint during the eye examination, making it difficult for him to do a complete examination. He testified that when he was able to examine Claimant’s eyes, he determined that her pupils, eye movements, visual fields, and cranial nerves were all normal. Id. Dr. Shipkin further determined that Claimant’s coordination, muscle tone, stance, and posture were normal. Despite this, “[w]hen she walked or ambulated, she had a bizarre intermittently lurching gait[,] including lurching while she was heel and

4 toe walking.” (Shipkin Dep. at 36-37; R.R. at 505a-06a.) Dr. Shipkin stated that he has seen this nonphysiologic quality numerous times over the years, and that “[i]t’s usually seen in folks who are either symptom magnifying or have other emotional issues in their life.” (Shipkin Dep. at 37; R.R. at 506a.) Dr. Shipkin opined that, based on the “objective data,” Claimant was “neurologically intact” and did not have any residual deficits related to her work injuries. (Shipkin Dep. at 39; R.R.

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P. McCall v. WCAB (Philadelphia Parking Auth.), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/p-mccall-v-wcab-philadelphia-parking-auth-pacommwct-2021.