Vandre v. State ex rel. Dep’t of Workforce Servs.
Annotate this CaseIn 2007, Employee suffered compensable work injuries. Five years later, Employee sought worker’s compensation benefits to cover medical expenses related to his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Wyoming Workers’ Compensation Division denied benefits on the basis that the COPD was unrelated to Employee’s work injuries. The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) upheld the denial of benefits, concluding that Employee’s COPD was a preexisting condition and that Employee had not met his burden of showing that his work injuries materially aggravated his preexisting COPD. The district court affirmed. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the OAH’s conclusions were not supported by substantial evidence. Remanded for entry of an order awarding benefits.
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