Walters v. Blincoe's Magic Valley Packing Co.

787 P.2d 225, 117 Idaho 239, 1990 Ida. LEXIS 17
Idaho Supreme Court·Decided February 14, 1990·No. 17419·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinions

JOHNSON, Justice.

This is a worker’s compensation case. The primary issue presented in this appeal is whether the claimant (Walters) was entitled to a hearing to determine additional disability. The application for hearing was filed more than five years after the acci"dent that caused the claimant’s injury. Walters asserts that the timeliness of the application should be governed by I.C. § 72-706(2), because medical benefit payments were made within one year before the application was filed. Blincoe’s Magic Valley Packing Company (the employer) and General Insurance Company of America (the employer’s surety) contend that [240] I.C. § 72-719 governs the ease and that the application was filed too late. The employer and its surety base their position on a compensation agreement entered into with Walters more than five years before the application was filed. Walters also asserts that, by its representations to and dealings with Walters, the employer’s surety waived or tolled the time within which Walters was required to file an application for a hearing. We disagree with Walters and affirm the order of the Commission dismissing the application.

I.

THE BACKGROUND AND PRIOR PROCEEDINGS.

Walters suffered an injury to his back while he was working for the employer on July 23,1979. As a result of this injury, he received a physical impairment rating of 20 percent of a whole person. Walters and the employer's surety entered into a compensation agreement (the agreement) on June 27, 1980. The agreement was approved by the Commission on July 10,1980. The agreement stated that Walters had been given “A PERMANENT DISABILITY AND/OR IMPAIRMENT RATING OF: 20% whole man.” The records of the Commission show that Walters was awarded $10,615.00 as partial permanent disability, which was fully paid by July 15, 1980.

Walters began experiencing increasing back pain in July of 1984. He contacted his physician, who was unable to see him until August 14, 1984. Surgery was performed on Walters’ back in April of 1985 and in January of 1986. The employer’s surety paid the medical expenses related to these surgeries. The last payment of these medical expenses was made on December 28, 1987.

On September 25, 1986, Walters filed an application for hearing claiming “further permanent partial impairment, further partial disability” and contending “that he is totally and permanently disabled and claims compensation for further and additional medical care.” The employer and its surety filed a motion to dismiss stating that the sole issue of law was whether or not I.C. § 72-706 and § 72-719 barred Walters from having a hearing to determine if he was entitled to further income benefits for permanent disability.

Walters opposed the motion to dismiss primarily on the ground that the medical benefit payments made by the employer’s surety within one year before the application for hearing entitled him to a hearing under I.C. § 72-706(2). Walters submitted an affidavit in opposition to the motion to dismiss setting out the basic facts concerning his application. He also stated that he “had been advised by the surety that his back would be taken care of” and “assumed by such words and subsequent conduct that the surety would ultimately pay him further benefits as appropriate for income, disability and impairment.” Walters subsequently testified in his deposition that he had received a letter dated January 25, 1985, from the employer’s surety stating: “The medical portion of your claim does remain open. However, the statute is (sic) run on compensation payments. Therefore, only future medical payments as relates to the industrial claim of 7-23-79 will be paid.” Walters testified in his deposition that from 1984 on, the employer’s surety had not led him to believe that he would receive anything other than his medical benefits.

The Commission initially denied the motion to dismiss, without stating its reason for doing so. The employer and its surety then moved for reconsideration and supplemented the support for the motion to dismiss with a copy of office notes from the office of Walters’ physician indicating that in early 1985 the employer’s surety had indicated that they would pay for the surgery “but will not pay time loss or additional impairment to Mr. Walters.” These notes also indicate that Walters was informed of this by the office of his physician. The Commission then reversed its initial ruling on the motion to dismiss and dismissed the application for hearing “without prejudice.” Walters filed this appeal from the dismissal.

[241] II.

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER I.C. § 72-719 OR I.C. § 72-706(2) GOVERNS THIS CASE, WALTERS IS NOT ENTITLED TO A HEARING.

Walters asserts that under I.C. § 72-706(2) he was entitled to request a hearing within one year after the payment of medical expenses by the employer’s surety. The employer and its surety contend that it is I.C. § 72-719, and not I.C. § 72-706(2), that governs this case. They also contend that even if I.C. § 72-706(2) is the applicable statute, Walters is not entitled to a hearing to determine additional disability.

A compensation agreement approved by the Commission is equivalent to an award under the worker’s compensation law. I.C. § 72-711; Sines v. Appel, 103 Idaho 9, 12, 644 P.2d 331, 333 (1982). An award of the Commission that is not appealed to this Court may only be modified as provided in I.C. § 72-719. I.C. § 72-718. I.C. § 72-719 includes a provision that “at any time within five (5) years of the date of the accident causing the injury ... the commission may ... review any order, agreement or award” on the ground of “[cjhange in the nature or extent of the employee’s injury or disablement.”

I.C. § 72-706(2) includes a provision that “if compensation is discontinued more than five (5) years from the date of the accident causing the injury,” a claimant may file an application requesting a hearing for further compensation and award “within one (1) year from the date of the last payment of compensation.”

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Walters v. Blincoe's Magic Valley Packing Co., 787 P.2d 225, 117 Idaho 239, 1990 Ida. LEXIS 17 (Idaho 1990).

787 P.2d 225 (Walters v. Blincoe's Magic Valley Packing Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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