LISA GAIL REINBOLD v. FORD MOTOR COMPANY; HONORABLE DONALD G. SMITH, ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE; AND WORKERS' COMPENSATION BOARD
Annotate this Case
Download PDF
RENDERED: August 15, 2003; 2:00 p.m.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED
Commonwealth Of Kentucky
Court of Appeals
NO. 2003-CA-000471-WC
LISA GAIL REINBOLD
APPELLANT
PETITION FOR REVIEW OF A DECISION
OF THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BOARD
ACTION NO. WC-99-64366
v.
FORD MOTOR COMPANY;
HONORABLE DONALD G. SMITH,
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE;
AND WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BOARD
APPELLEES
OPINION
AFFIRMING
** ** ** ** **
BEFORE:
JUDGE.1
PAISLEY AND TACKETT, JUDGES; AND HUDDLESTON, SENIOR
TACKETT, JUDGE:
Lisa Gail Reinbold (Reinbold) petitions for
review from an opinion of the Workers' Compensation Board
(Board), which affirmed an opinion and order of the
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) awarding Reinbold reasonable
medical expenses, finding that her back and neck conditions were
related to a work injury while employed at Ford Motor Company
1
Senior Judge Joseph R. Huddleston sitting as Special Judge by assignment of
the Chief Justice pursuant to Section 110(5)(b) of the Kentucky Constitution
and KRS 21.580.
(Ford) on August 20, 1999.
However, the ALJ found Reinbold
failed to show entitlement to income benefits, specifically
finding that Reinbold had a prior active disability for her neck
condition from a non-work related motor vehicle accident, which
was aggravated by the work injury.
The ALJ ruled that Reinbold
had no impairment rating for the back condition, and that the
impairment rating for the neck condition was preexisting and
therefore, not compensable, all to which the Board agreed.
Reinbold argues that the ALJ erred in finding that she sustained
no impairment to her neck and back due to her work at Ford.
We
affirm.
Reinbold’s background information shows that her date
of birth was October 6, 1959, and that she successfully
completed her high school education.
Her employment history
included work as a grocery store cashier and pricing manager.
She began working for Ford on the assembly line on May 31, 1995.
As a result of a motor vehicle accident on October 25, 1996,
Reinbold sustained a non-work related cervical spine injury.
She returned to work at Ford in December of 1996.
However, in
January 1997, she stopped working because of neck pain.
On
March 19, 1997, Dr. Steven Reiss performed a two-level cervical
fusion surgery at C5-6 and C6-7.
Reinbold returned to Ford in July 1997.
On August 20,
1999, while working at her sway bar secure position with an
-2-
overhead gun used to attach and tighten sway bars and shock
brackets, she experienced pain in the low back and neck.
She
gave notice of a work injury and was seen by Dr. K.M. Farmer,
the Ford plant physician.
duty work for two weeks.
Reinbold initially returned to lightWhen she was unable to do the light-
duty work, Dr. Farmer ordered a CT scan.
until January 23, 2000.
She remained off work
She returned to light duty work and was
reassigned to a job she was able to perform.
job for about a year and a half.
She performed that
When more job duties were
added, she was assigned an even lighter job.
Medical evidence in the record consisted of reports
and depositions from Drs. Ron Fadel and Daniel Wolens.
Dr.
Fadel concluded that Reinbold sustained a work-related injury in
1999.
He assigned a 16% impairment to the body as a whole due
to her work-related condition, apportioning 8% to the cervical
spine and 8% to the lumbar spine.
This impairment rating was
made pursuant to the DRE Model of the Fifth Edition of the
American Medical Association, Guides to the Evaluation of
Permanent Impairment (AMA Guidelines).
Dr. Fadel stated that he
would restrict Reinbold from any activities that require
repetitive extension and flexion of the cervical spine and would
further restrict her from occasionally lifting more than ten
pounds.
-3-
Dr. Wolens testified, on the other hand, that he
believed Reinbold’s cervical condition was predominantly caused
by the 1996 motor vehicle accident and the subsequent cervical
fusion and that the August 20, 1999 incident aggravated that
condition.
He assessed a 20% impairment to the cervical spine
and a 0% impairment to the lumbar spine.
He attributed none of
the permanent impairment to the work incident.
After Dr.
Fadel’s deposition was taken, Dr. Wolens returned for a second
deposition.
He testified that he took exception with Dr.
Fadel’s assessment of impairment.
He testified that he
considered the two-level fusion an active condition and that the
condition was aggravated by her work duties.
He did not believe
that Reinhold’s low back complaints were related to the work
incident.
He testified that he would restrict Reinbold from
extreme cervical motion and heavy lifting, but that those
restrictions would have been in place as a result of the
cervical fusion following the motor vehicle accident.
The ALJ noted that the medical evidence was
conflicting, but found the testimony of Reinbold and Dr. Fadel
persuasive in that Reinbold’s back condition was related to the
work incident and therefore, medical expenses were awarded.
However, the ALJ relied on Dr. Wolens’ testimony with regard to
Reinhold’s cervical condition and concluded it was a re-injury
of an active impairment.
The ALJ also believed that Dr. Wolens
-4-
appropriately applied the AMA Guidelines under the particular
circumstances, and that Reinbold had a 0% impairment to the
lumbar spine.
Reinbold argues that the ALJ erred in relying on Dr.
Wolens’ testimony, because her CT scan shows acute herniation at
L5-S1, which was due to the August 20, 1999 incident.
As
mentioned, the doctors’ testimony conflicted on this issue.
The
record establishes that Dr. Wolens and Dr. Fadel disagreed as to
how to apply the AMA Guidelines.
Dr. Fadel assigned an 8%
impairment rating to the lumbar spine injury while Dr. Wolens
assigned a 0% impairment rating.
The ALJ found that Dr. Wolens
appropriately applied the Guidelines.
We agree with the
conclusion of the Board in addressing this claim:
We further note that in the case of FAB
Steel, Inc. v. Myers, 2001-CA-001564-WC
(Rendered February 15, 2002 and designated
not to be published, the court addressed the
appropriate manner for impeaching the
methods under the Guides. In FAB Steel, the
Court of Appeals adopted this Board’s
opinion that evidence of an impairment
rating represents the calculations and
opinions of an expert. Contrary expert
opinions and/or skillful and vigorous crossexamination remain the practitioner’s tools
to overcome unfavorable expert opinions.
Nevertheless, the differing expert opinions
as to impairment ratings remain nothing more
than conflicting evidence. While Reinbold
argues that Dr. Fadel did a correct
assessment of impairment rating pursuant to
the Guides, as we have emphasized, the ALJ
as fact finder retains the sole authority to
judge the weight, credibility, substance,
-5-
and inferences to be drawn the [sic]
evidence. Paramount Foods, Inc. v.
Burkhardt, supra.
Assessment impairment ratings determined by experts
are often in conflict.
at an impairment rating.
Multiple methods can be used to arrive
Inasmuch as Reinbold would like us to
accept Dr. Fadel’s assessment, we believe, as did the Board,
that the issue was one for the fact finder, the ALJ, in
determining the weight and credibility of the evidence.
of the AMA Guidelines is strictly a medical function.
The use
When
medical evidence conflicts, the sole authority to determine whom
to believe rests with the ALJ.
Leeco, Inc. v. Adams, Ky. App.,
920 S.W.2d 84, 85 (1996) citing Pruitt v. Bugg Brothers, Ky.,
547 S.W.2d 123 (1977).
Reinbold next argues that the ALJ erred in relying on
Dr. Wolens’ finding that her neck condition was pre-existing.
She bases this argument on the fact that she was able to perform
her job without restrictions to her cervical spine or complaints
of cervical pain for over 25 months following the fusion
surgery.
In consideration of the foregoing, we adopt the
following portion of the Board’s opinion as follows:
Under the 1996 Workers’ Compensation Act, a
partially disabling condition is not
compensable unless it results in a permanent
impairment rating under the Guides. KRS
342.0011(11)(b) and KRS 342.0011
(11)(b)(35)(36). Partial disability is
calculated by simply plugging that
-6-
impairment rating into the formula for
computing a disability rating provided in
KRS 342.730(1)(b). The “occupational
disability” standards that existed prior to
December 12, 1996, the effective date of the
1996 amendments, no longer applies for
purposes of permanent partial disability
awards. Thus, as here, if a claimant has
suffered a prior non-work-related [sic]
injury that results in an impairment rating,
that impairment rating can not be part and
parcel of a disability rating, even if the
existing impairment is not vocationally
limiting.
Dr. Wolens assessed a 20% impairment rating to
Reinbold’s neck injury.
He attributed the entire impairment to
the prior non-work related injury and believed that the work
incident merely aggravated that prior injury.
Our examination
of the record demonstrates that Dr. Wolens reviewed Reinbold’s
medical records, specifically the operative reports from the
cervical fusion, and the medical records related to the August
20, 1999 working injury, including the report of the CT scan
ordered by Dr. Farmer at Ford.
Dr. Wolens performed a physical
examination of Reinbold and took her medical history.
He
testified that Reinbold’s loss of range of motion was a direct
result of her cervical fusion.
He further testified that he
would not apportion any of her impairment to the work injury
because that injury only resulted in an increase in Reinbold’s
pain complaints.
Dr. Wolens testified that there was no
alteration in the anatomical structure of her spine, and the
-7-
loss of range of motion in her case was secondary to loss of the
spinal function because of the cervical fusion.
The doctor
noted in his report that Reinbold did have a “small right
paracentric disc herniation at C4-C5 that was not previously
evident, this does not appear to be clinically significant as
neither this patient’s symptoms nor physical examination
findings are consistent with such a pathological process.”
Dr.
Wolens’ report concluded that, “There is nothing in the medical
record history, patient history, or physical examination that
would suggest the presence of new onset pathology secondary to
the reported injury.”
This was substantial evidence upon which
the ALJ could rely to conclude that Reinbold did not sustain a
compensable injury at Ford.
Inasmuch as Reinbold was
asymptomatic prior to aggravating the injury does not preclude
such a finding.
Lastly, Reinbold argues that the ALJ erred in finding
that she did not sustain an impairment to her low back because
she no longer retains the physical capacity to perform the type
of work she did prior to the injury.
This argument cannot be
distinguished from her previous one.
As discussed above, Dr.
Wolens’ testimony was substantial evidence which supported the
ALJ’s determination that Reinbold’s symptoms, no matter how
restrictive after the August 20, 1999 injury, were an
aggravation of the prior non-work related injury.
-8-
When reviewing decisions of the Board, our function is
to correct the Board only where we perceive that the Board “has
overlooked or misconstrued controlling statutes or precedent, or
committed an error in assessing the evidence so flagrant as to
cause gross injustice." Western Baptist Hospital v. Kelly, Ky.,
827 S.W.2d 685, 687-88 (1992).
When a petitioner is
unsuccessful before the fact finder, on appeal before the Board
he must prove that the evidence compelled a finding in his
favor. Paramount Foods, Inc. v. Burkhardt, Ky., 695 S.W.2d 418
(1985).
Because the ALJ's findings were supported by
substantial evidence, the Board had no authority to alter the
result. KRS 342.285.
Special Fund v. Francis, Ky., 708 S.W.2d
641 (1986).
For the foregoing reasons the opinion of the Workers’
Compensation Board is affirmed.
ALL CONCUR.
BRIEF FOR APPELLANT:
W. David Shearer, Jr.
Christopher G. Newell
Louisville, Kentucky
BRIEF FOR APPELLEE, FORD MOTOR
COMPANY:
Nancy E. Anderson
Wesley G. Gatlin
Boehl Stopher & Graves
Louisville, Kentucky
Donald G. Smith
Lexington, Kentucky
-9-
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.